cheese galore

Make the lemon cake

• Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 9×13 pan with foil and apply nonstick spray.
• Mix together the white sugar and 1 Tablespoon of the lemon zest; reserve remaining zest for the frosting. Using fingertips, for about a minute rub zest into sugar to deploy the inherent oils. Whisk in the olive oil followed by the eggs. Add the milk, vanilla, and salt. Keep beating until the sugar is dissolved.
• Beat in the flour and baking powder until just combined, making sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl. Pour batter into the cake pan.
• Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Let cake cool in pan about 10 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey and 3 Tablespoons of the lemon juice until smooth.
• Invert the cake onto a large cooling rack. Stab cake all over with chopstick or skewer. Set a cookie sheet beneath the rack. Drizzle or brush the honey-lemon mix all over the cake. Let cool for about an hour.

Frosting

• Combine cream cheese, salt, the rest of the lemon zest, and a Tablespoon of lemon juice; use rest of juice otherwise. With a hand mixer, beat on medium-high until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add the butter and beat until pale and fluffy, about a minute.
• Reduce the speed and gradually add the confectioners’ sugar. Once it’s all in, increase the speed to high and beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer the cake to a parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Use an uneven spatula to spread 1 1/2 cups frosting all over the top of the cake. Place cake in fridge to chill for 15-30 minutes. Once frosting has hardened. Slice in half crosswise and stack the halves. Spread the remaining frosting on the top and sides of cake, getting all of the odd angles, nooks, and crannies.
• Refrigerate cake, uncovered, at least 30 minutes before serving. For longer than that, cover with plastic wrap; it’ll keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days, and can also be frozen in individual slices. Serve cake right from fridge.

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• In a stand mixer, place the warm liquids and yeast. Let stand for about 10 minutes, until the yeast is nice and foamy. Add the eggs, sugar, 2 Tablespoons of melted butter, and salt. Gradually beat in the flour, cheese, and parsley, until everything is well combined.
• Cover the bowl to let the dough rise for about an hour.
• Line a 9×9 pan with parchment paper cut to crisscross and extend up all four sides. Apply nonstick spray.
• Lightly flour a surface. Turn out the dough onto it. Use the kitchen scale to weigh the dough. Divide it into 12 equal portions, forming each into a tidy ball. Place in rows within the prepared pan, each roll touching. Cover the pan to let rolls rise for another 40 minutes to an hour.
• Preheat oven at 375-degrees. Brush rolls with remaining 2 Tablespoons butter and add a sprinkle of flaked salt, if desired.
• Bake rolls for 13 minutes. Check them. If they are getting quite brown, cover the pan with foil. Bake for another 13 to 15 minutes.
• Serve rolls at room temperature or warm.

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• Preheat oven at 475-degrees. Line a big baking sheet with parchment.
• In a big bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne. Fold in the cheddar cheese.
• Fold the buttermilk into the dry ingredients, followed by the melted butter, scraping the bottom of the bowl well to make sure everything is mixed in. Grease a 1/3 cup and use that to scoop up portions of dough to place spaced out on the baking sheet.
• As the biscuits bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until golden brown, prepare the topping. Melt the butter and stir in the garlic powder and parsley. As soon as the biscuits are out of the oven, brush on the topping to cover the nooks and crannies of every biscuit on the pan.
• Eat right away. Leftovers will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for days. They can be microwaved, but are best warmed in an oven or toaster oven.

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• Beat cream cheese until it is smooth and creamy. Add white sugar to fully incorporate. Mix in egg and peppermint extract. Stir in droplets of food color to reach desired tint. Set bowl aside.
• Prepare a 9×9 pan by lining it with foil and applying nonstick spray or butter to grease it. Preheat oven at 350-degrees.
• Using a microwave-safe bowl, in brief bursts heat the butter and dark chocolate, stirring well between each pass, until both are melted and smooth. Set aside to cool for a few minutes.
• In the large bowl of a stand mixer, use the whisk attachment to beat together both sugars, the vanilla, and salt. Add the eggs one at a time, and continue to beat at a high speed for 10 minutes. With the mixer on low, pour in the butter-chocolate. Use a spatula to fold in the flour and cocoa until just combined. Batter will be thick.
• Pour half the brownie batter into the prepared pan; use an offset spatula to even it out. Add about half the cheesecake mix in dollops. Repeat twice more, adding brownie and cheesecake in alternate dolloped layers. Use a butter knife to swirl everything together to create a marbled effect.
• Bake for about 45 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Cool to room temperature then cut into pieces.

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• Add ingredients EXCEPT cheese into the bread machine. That often means the liquids first. Set the machine on dough cycle and start; this should run for about 2 hours. Once the dough starts mixing, sprinkle in about half the cheese. If necessary–and if safely possible, dependent on the machine–use a spatula to press cheese into the dough. Let dough cycle continue until done.
• Prepare a cookie sheet or jelly roll pan by greasing with butter or nonstick spray.
• Pat out dough on an even lightly-greased surface. It’s time to add the rest of the cheese using a process roughly like French butter lamination.
• Sprinkle a handful of cheese over the lower portion of dough. Fold top part over it, then fold dough the other way, creating a fat dough ball. Pat out dough again. Repeat process again one or two more times, until only a handful of cheese is left.
• Pat out dough again. Use a small round cutter to slice out portions of dough. Place them in the prepared pan, spaced so they don’t quite touch. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Cover pan with plastic wrap or a light towel and let rise again in a warm spot for 30 minutes to 1 hour, until rolls become puffy and double in size.
• Preheat oven at 350-degrees.
• Bake rolls for 15 to 22 minutes. If they begin to brown too much, cover with foil halfway through. Let rolls cool a few minutes before serving.
• Completely cooled rolls can be frozen in gallon freezer bags for several months. Sealed rolls will keep well at room temperature for at least 6 days. They are good eaten at room temperature, but are best briefly warmed in the oven.

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• Hours or days before baking day: Sprinkle flour on a flat, clean surface. Roll out the puff pastry to make a 12-inch square. Cut in half. Sprinkle cheese over both halves. Place prosciutto slices to completely cover cheese; if there is extra meat, layer on the additional pieces. Roll the short sides of each piece of pastry together to meet in the middle–from the end, it will look rather like a number 3. Repeat this with the other half.
• Encase both logs in plastic wrap and freeze until firm, at least an hour, but as long as several days.
• Preheat oven at 400-degrees. Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Pull out frozen logs to thaw for just a few minutes. While it is still mostly frozen, slice into 1/4-inch pieces and place spaced out on parchment. (Note that the end pieces may be sparse on filling and not presentable for company, but still worth baking up for private enjoyment.)
• Bake for 12 to 15 minutes until palmiers are golden brown and puffed. They are best eaten fresh, but leftovers can be refrigerated. They are okay cold, but better toasted briefly again in the oven.

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