Cheesecake Yogurt & Malt Tuiles

This came about in the dog days of summer, when I was craving cheesecake but didn't want to turn on the oven or go outside in blazing heat for any reason. A quick mix of what I had on hand - cream cheese, silken tofu (순두부; sun du bu), and Greek yogurt - satisfied me with that tart, sweet, unmistakeably creamy cheesecake flavor.

Then another time, I added tuiles, a simple solution to add some crunch to this creamy, cooling dessert. And of course, my interest and ingredients at home for being what they are, I added a spoonful of fine malted barley powder (엿기름 가루; yeot gi reum ga ru) left over from making shikhye (식혜; Korean rice-malt drink). This was a fun twist with the flavor of shikhye in a cookie. On a side note, although I generally prefer using the coarse version of the malted barley 'powder' for shikhye mainly because of easier straining, the fine powder also works for shikhye.

I also added tapiocca pearls for some soft bites which then became a creamy yogurt pudding of sorts. Together, it's a dessert of multiple elements, but each could stand as a simple snack on its own.

In the past few days I've been going through some life things that I hope will eventually help me grow as a person. For the moment, I keep my focus on one day at a time, which has taken me back to this recipe - the cheesecake yogurt part for the moment. A little bit of soft sweetness without too much effort is what I need right now.

Tapiocca

2/3 C+ low-fat milk

1/4 C tapioca pearls

Soak tapioca pearls in milk for 30 minutes. Bring it up to a boil over low heat, stirring occasionally. Simmer for another 5 minutes, then turn off the heat. Cover and let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour, until tapioca pearls soak up most of milk and become soft all around, stirring occasionally to prevent tapioca pearls from sticking together. You may need to add a spoonful or more of warm milk to loosen up tapioca pearls. Reserve at room temperature.

I made this to add to the cheesecake yogurt, so I didn't add any sweetener. If you make this to enjoy as tapiocca pudding, add sugar and adjust the amount of milk for desired consistency.

Cheesecake Yogurt

1 pack of silken tofu (I used a 11-oz. Korean sundubu pack)

1 C low-fat Greek yogurt

1 8 oz. pack of low-fat cream cheese

1/3 C sugar

1/2 ts vanilla extract

1/4 ts salt

Mix all ingredients together in a blender to a creamy consistency. Keep in the refrigerator.

make small tuiles (before baking) ...or one big sheet of tuile (after baking)

Malt Tuiles

1 egg white

1/4 C butter, softened

1/4 C confectioners sugar

1/4 C all-purpose flour

1 TBSP fine malted barley powder (엿기름 가루; yeot gi reum ga ru)

2 TBSP chopped almonds or walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350F degrees.

Whisk egg white, softened butter and confectioners' sugar to a smooth, creamy consistency. Mix in flour and malted barley powder. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate the batter for 15 minutes.

On a parchment paper-lined sheet pan, spread the batter as if to create a thin sheet of paper. You can make one big sheet to fit the sheet pan and break it apart after baking, or make several smaller tuiles. Try to maintain the same thickness for all tuiles. An offset spatula is the best tool for this, but you can also try with a butter knife or a spoon.

Sprinkle chopped almonds or walnuts on the tuile spreads. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes until the tuiles turn golden.

As soon as you take it out of the oven, using the offset spatula, carefully, but quickly remove each tuile from the sheet pan and lay it on a round mold to shape it like a real tuile, or a tile. If you don't have a tuile mold, no problem. Find something that has a round shape such as a rolling pin, a beer bottle or a pepper mill like I did, wipe to clean, then use as a tuile mold. Cool to room temperature and enjoy them as your afternoon snack or garnish for cheesecake yogurt.

Assembly

If you've followed the recipe this far, I thank you. It is about time to eat. Mix the tapioca pearls into cheesecake yogurt. Serve with malt tuiles. Enjoy!

KOREAN WORDS