This felt like a good representation of a s'mores to me; graham cracker on the bottom, chocolate in the middle, and slightly burnt marshmallows on top.
As I said, it was her birthday and a group of us went to Katsuya in Hollywood for dinner. It was my first time there so I thought I would review it and give my opinion of the meal.
The recipes I used were mainly as guidelines with my own additions.
Crust:
(adapted from Tyler Florence)
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 9 graham crackers
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
(adapted from here )
- 24 oz cream cheese (3 blocks)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup AP flour
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 whole egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 jar Nutella (13 oz)
Italian Meringue:
(adapted from Tyler Florence)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup water
-5 egg whites, room temperature
-1/4 tsp cream of tartar
For the Crust: Preheat the oven to 325. Grease a 9 or 10 inch springform pan, cut parchment paper out to fit the bottom, and grease the parchment paper.
Place all dry ingredients in food processor and process until finely ground. Add melted butter and process until the mixture slightly clumps together.
Pour into springform pan and press it out evenly on the bottom of the pan. Use a measuring cup to neatly press the crust to the edges of the pan. Bake for 12 minutes until golden.
In the meantime, make the filling. In a mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla on medium speed until fluffy and combined well. Add the egg yolks/egg, one at a time. Pour in the milk and the nutella and mix completely.
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| You can stop here and you have yourself a lovely plain cheesecake! |
Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F. Place the springform pan on a cookie sheet for easy handling and clean up. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours, until the center is set when shaken lightly.
Cool for 20-30 minutes before removing from pan. Cool completely before piping meringue.
To make the meringue: In a small pot over a low heat, combine the sugar and water. Swirl the pot to dissolve the sugar completely. Attach a candy thermometer to the pot. Increase the heat and boil to a soft-ball stage which is 235 to 240 degrees F. Watch carefully because once it starts to really heat up, that will increase very rapidly and sugar burns easily!
Also, using a stand mixer or beaters with a whip attachment, whip the egg whites on low until foamy. Add cream of tartar and increase the speed to medium until soft peaks form.
Tip: Make sure to carefully separate your eggs, and do not get any yolk in the whites. They will not whip up the same if that happens. Separate one egg at a time, and into a smaller bowl before putting it with the rest of the egg whites so in case anything happens, you do not have to start all over.
While the mixer is running, pour the hot sugar syrup (once done) in a thin stream over the egg whites. Beat until the egg whites are stiff and glossy.
Tip: I put a bowl of ice/ice water under the mixer's bowl to keep the egg whites cool. If they get too hot, they will just melt and become an egg white sugar soup. Also pour the sugar in as thin of a stream as you can, slowly. This will also help the egg whites from not deflating.
I use a star tip ( I forgot which number) and piped out the meringue on the cheesecake. Then I took my mini blow torch and bruleed the top until it was nice and brown. Refrigerate a couple hours before serving.
Enjoy! :)
As I said before, I went to Katsuya for Roxy's birthday later that night. Along with my baking blog, I also wanted to review restaurants that I have eaten at, so I think this is a good place to start!
Katsuya on Hollywood Blvd is "Hollywood trendy" at its best. When we walked in the restaurant, it was completely packed and there was not much room to stand around. Luckily we had a reservation and the wait for our table was not terribly long. The restaurant has a very modern vibe, everything is very sharp and sleek.
The artwork on the walls and menus are very fun, especially the giant red lips. The ambiance is very fun and extremely loud, it is good for groups but not the best place for an intimate conversation.
To drink I ordered their Bellini, which has Prosecco and peach puree and a little thyme essence. It was very yummy and refreshing, but at $14, a little pricey.
For my entree, I ordered the miso marinated black cod. The presentation was fun and unique and very modern, following with the restaurant decor. The fish was delicious but the portion was a little on the small side. There was 1 broccoli floret, cut in half alongside the fish with little dots of sauce. I wish there was more of that sauce because it was amazing. Although the food was good, I feel like it was extremely overpriced for what is served. I am still not sure what the red and white stick in between the fish was.
I was disappointed in the sushi that my friend ordered because when I hear of Katsuya, it is known for being a top sushi restaurant in Los Angeles. I was disappointed in the presentation when she was served her spicy tuna roll. When I think of sushi, I think of art. Sushi chefs are like artists and can make sushi rolls look so beautiful, but this one just fell flat for me. It looked very ordinary and average.
Overall, it was an okay restaurant. I have wanted to try it but if I return, it might only be for lunch. I did not think the food lived up to its reputation. It is very trendy and I believe the people who frequent Katsuya care more about being seen there than enjoying a good meal.
Happy Birthday babeh! <3
"...I believe the people who frequent Katsuya care more about being seen there than enjoying a good meal."
ReplyDeleteThis pretty much says it all, doesn't it?
<3