Hey there, Florida Foodie friends,
It’s your good buddy Thomas Mates, out of breath and out of sorts.
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You may have noticed that the newsletter is running a little late today. Well, I have been running around like a chicken with its head cut off, which is to say I have been bleeding a lot.
I’m kidding. It’s not that much blood.
I have been extremely busy, though. Things are always changing behind the scenes at News 6, and that means a lot of meetings and training sessions for me. Aren’t I lucky?
Despite all that, I’ve managed to find some spare moments to try out a new recipe or two.
I recently made a Basque-style burnt cheesecake. It turned out pretty good for the first attempt. I would definitely do it again.
I’ll share the recipe a little later in the newsletter, so stick around for that.
I also want to take this time to remind you all to share your foodie pics on PinIt! They can be pictures of your favorite recipes or just a really good Pub Sub you had for lunch.
We’d love to see all your foodie photos so I can share them here with all of you.
OK, let’s dive into it.
Bagel Boom🥯
I have been following the success of Jeff’s Bagel Run for a few years now. From the first shop opening in Ocoee, to the second store in College Park.
Now, Jeff and Danielle Perera are planning to open up to six more locations by the end of the year. This is all part of a new partnership the pair have with Justin Wetherill, the owner of 1337 Capital.
The three business partners came on the most recent episode of Florida Foodie to talk with Candace Campos and Lisa Bell about the partnership and their plans for the future.
> You can listen to the episode here <
And you can also find every episode of Florida Foodie on YouTube, as well.
Small bites 🎂
Ain’t no party like a McDonald’s party🍔: Did you ever go to a McDonald’s birthday party when you were a kid? I attended a couple, and I remember enjoying them, but as a chubby little kid, I enjoyed any occasion with fast food and cake. As a chubby adult, I still do. Well, McDonald’s still hosts these birthday bashes. You can read about it here. And you can win a free McDonald’s birthday party here if you’re a News 6 Insider.
Endless shrimp🦐🍤: I have mentioned before that I don’t keep kosher. Part of the reason for that is that I love shellfish. If you also love shellfish, Red Lobster is offering the opportunity for everyone to eat more shrimp than is medically advisable with its Endless Shrimp deal. Here are the details.
Best of the best 🏰: One of Disney’s restaurants just ranked among the best in the nation. Victoria & Albert’s at the Grand Floridian topped the list of travel website Trips to Discover’s 10 best U.S. award-winning restaurants. It will cost a pretty penny to eat there, so if you would rather just read about it, click here for free.
Best BBQ🍖: In addition to shrimp, I also love barbecue. The smoke, the mix of sweet and savory — I love all of it. Here is a list of the best BBQ spots around the Orlando area. Click here to read and leave a comment if you disagree with the rankings.
Something to try at home 🍽️
As promised, here is the recipe for the Basque cheesecake. It is very simple and it is supposed to be rustic looking, so you don’t have to worry about it cracking like you might with a New York-style cheesecake.
This recipe is adapted from a recipe by Josh Weissman.
Ingredients:
- 1.5 pound (678g) cream cheese (room temp)
- 1/2 pound (226g) mascarpone (room temp)
- 1.5 cups (320g) sugar
- 6 eggs
- 1 egg yolk
- 3/4 teaspoons (4g) fine sea salt
- 1 3/4 cup (415ml) heavy cream
- 1.5 (7g) teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons (9g) fresh lemon juice (you can also add the zest of one lemon as well, but this is optional)
- 1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons (52g) all-purpose flour
Step 1: Start by greasing a 9″ cake pan, preferably a spring-form pan, and line it with two overlapping pieces of parchment paper.
Step 2: In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together your cream cheese and mascarpone. Beat it on low until smooth.
Step 3: While the mixer is still running, slowly add your sugar and increase to medium speed. Once fully incorporated, stop the mixer and scrape down the sides.
Step 4: Now, restart the mixer on medium and add all your eggs and your yolk, one at a time until completely incorporated.
Step 5: Add in the salt, cream, vanilla extract and lemon juice while the mixer is still running. Once incorporated, stop the mixer, scrape down the sides and then sift in your flour. Place the bowl back on the mixer and give it one final mix to incorporate the flour.
Step 6: Pour your cheesecake mixture into the prepared cake pan and then bake it at 400 degrees for 60 minutes. Then remove your cheesecake from the oven and allow it to cool completely before removing the parchment paper.
I find it is best to serve this cake chilled, but it can also be served at room temp. It goes great with some fresh berries, but I have also been enjoying it with a dollop of almond butter.
That’s it for today.
Please, send me your recipes so I can share them with everyone. My email is tmates@wkmg.com.
Don’t forget to send in your foodie pictures as well through our PinIt! program.
Also, please take the time to rate and review the Florida Foodie podcast.