{"id":7359,"date":"2023-02-28T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-28T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/28\/abi-balingits-ube-cheesecake-bars-are-a-hosts-dream-heres-why\/"},"modified":"2023-02-28T15:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-02-28T15:00:00","slug":"abi-balingits-ube-cheesecake-bars-are-a-hosts-dream-heres-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/28\/abi-balingits-ube-cheesecake-bars-are-a-hosts-dream-heres-why\/","title":{"rendered":"Abi Balingit\u2019s Ube Cheesecake Bars Are a Host\u2019s Dream\u2014Here\u2019s Why"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\nThis post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to.<\/em>
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Here at Food52, we love hosting. Whether it\u2019s dinner parties, pizza nights, or backyard barbecues, we\u2019re obsessed with sharing good food\u2014and good times\u2014with friends and loved ones. But let\u2019s be honest: Not everyone has the space to host a huge soir\u00e9e. I certainly don\u2019t, and whenever I decide to cook dinner for friends in my two-room apartment (okay, three if you count the bathroom), making the most of my limited space is of the utmost importance.<\/p>\n

Abi Balingit\u2014whose Filipino American, dessert-centric cookbook, Mayumu: Filipino American Desserts Remixed<\/em><\/a>, hits bookstore shelves today\u2014is familiar with the particular struggle of navigating a small, shared kitchen. \u201cIn the past five years, I\u2019ve lived in three apartments all over Brooklyn with at least two roommates in each one,\u201d she writes in the first pages of her book. \u201cWhile living in tiny apartments and making do with even tinier kitchens has been less than ideal, it\u2019s still possible to bake fantastic desserts in them.\u201d<\/p>\n

These spatial limitations have made a huge impact on Balingit\u2019s baking style, resulting in wisdom and practical tips for anyone needing to maximize their kitchen space, whether it\u2019s for hosting or day-to-day living. \u201cI feel like I try not [to] bake as many big things that need to be refrigerated because I already have finite space\u2014like, a third of the fridge is mine,\u201d explained Balingit.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I bake a three-layer cake, it’s constantly cooling in between frosting time, so I really try not to crowd the fridge too much,\u201d she said. \u201cSo if I can have anything that can be left out, like cookies and brownies are really good to just leave on a countertop, in an airtight container. I love those recipes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Flipping through Mayumu<\/em>, it\u2019s hard to find a recipe that isn\u2019t<\/em> well-suited for entertaining and sharing: Updated classics like Adobo Chocolate Chip Cookies are perfect for a cozy night in, Pineapple Upside-Down Guava Cupcakes are prime for a potluck, and a Halo-Halo Baked Alaska is exactly what you\u2019ll want to be serving at your next dinner party. Many of the treats in the book are also naturally pre-portioned, meaning that dividing them up is a breeze (think: pie pops instead of pies, avocado popsicles, and lots and lots of cookies). One recipe that, in my opinion, could work in almost any scenario? Balingit\u2019s Ube Cheesecake Bars with a Gosomi Cracker Crust.<\/p>\n

Inspired by the readymade Philadelphia Cream Cheese strawberry cheesecake bars of the early 2000s, this version swaps the strawberries for ube halaya (jam). \u201cUbe is Filipino purple yam. It’s a subtle flavor that’s very sweet, but [it has] hints of like vanilla [and] a little bit of pistachio,\u201d said Balingit. It\u2019s difficult to find fresh ube in the States, so it\u2019s typically incorporated into desserts either as an extract or halaya. The latter is readily available online from retailers like Umamicart<\/a>, or can be made at home from powdered or frozen ube.<\/p>\n

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Photo by Nico Schinco. Reprinted by permission of Harvest, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.<\/span>
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\u201cIt’s just so delicate that\u2026whenever I think about pairing ube with anything, I think of what would balance well with [it],\u201d said Balingit. For this recipe, she turned to Korean Gosomi crackers, made with sesame and coconut, which hit just the right balance of sweet and salty notes. (In a pinch, she advises in the book, graham crackers can be used for the crust instead.)<\/p>\n

After the bars are baked, their centers get hollowed out with a melon baller (I imagine a small spoon would work equally well) and filled with ube halaya. The delicately flavored, tropical ube plays well with the coconut in the crumb crust, Balingit explained, and the sweet cheesecake filling is subtle enough to not overpower it.<\/p>\n

However, the reason these cheesecake bars are so great for hosting, especially in close quarters, isn\u2019t just that they\u2019re delicious (though that certainly doesn\u2019t hurt). In addition to being straightforward and low-effort, this is a recipe that can be made well in advance: The bars can simply hang out in the fridge until you\u2019re ready to serve them. And with their striking purple filling and white chocolate drizzle, their visual appeal\u2014and the ease with which you present them after dinner\u2014will undoubtedly impress your guests. Though they do require refrigeration, the bars are made in a relatively compact 8×8-inch pan, meaning they\u2019re small enough to not take up too<\/em> much of your precious fridge real estate.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can’t choose favorites, but it is one of my favorites,\u201d said Balingit of these nostalgic treats. Ready to try them yourself? Find the recipe below\u2014and make sure to let us know what you think.<\/p>\n

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Ingredients<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n Nonstick cooking spray<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1 1<\/sup>\/4<\/sub><\/span><\/td>\n\n cups Gosomi cracker crumbs (from 64 crackers, about 4 packs; see Note*)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1 1<\/sup>\/4<\/sub><\/span><\/td>\n\n cups granulated sugar, divided<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/span><\/td>\n\n tablespoons (\u00bd stick) unsalted butter, melted<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/span><\/td>\n\n (8-ounce) cream cheese blocks, softened and at room temperature<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/span><\/td>\n\n large eggs, at room temperature<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/sup>\/4<\/sub><\/span><\/td>\n\n cup sour cream, at room temperature<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/sup>\/4<\/sub><\/span><\/td>\n\n teaspoon kosher salt<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/span><\/td>\n\n teaspoon vanilla extract<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/sup>\/4<\/sub><\/span><\/td>\n\n cup ube halaya, store-bought or homemade<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/sup>\/4<\/sub><\/span><\/td>\n\n cup white chocolate chips<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/sup>\/2<\/sub><\/span><\/td>\n\n tablespoon coconut oil<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n Nonstick cooking spray<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1 1<\/sup>\/4<\/sub><\/span><\/td>\n\n cups Gosomi cracker crumbs (from 64 crackers, about 4 packs; see Note*)<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1 1<\/sup>\/4<\/sub><\/span><\/td>\n\n cups granulated sugar, divided<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/span><\/td>\n\n tablespoons (\u00bd stick) unsalted butter, melted<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/span><\/td>\n\n (8-ounce) cream cheese blocks, softened and at room temperature<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/span><\/td>\n\n large eggs, at room temperature<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
1<\/sup>\/4<\/sub><\/span><\/td>\n\n cup sour cream, at room temperature<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/sup>\/4<\/sub><\/span><\/td>\n\n teaspoon kosher salt<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/span><\/td>\n\n teaspoon vanilla extract<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/sup>\/4<\/sub><\/span><\/td>\n\n cup ube halaya, store-bought or homemade<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/sup>\/4<\/sub><\/span><\/td>\n\n cup white chocolate chips<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/sup>\/2<\/sub><\/span><\/td>\n\n tablespoon coconut oil<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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\nWhat’s your go-to dessert when hosting in a small space? Share in the comments!<\/em>
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This post contains products independently chosen (and loved) by our editors and writers. Food52 earns an affiliate commission on qualifying purchases of the products we link to. Here at Food52, we love hosting. Whether it\u2019s dinner parties, pizza nights, or backyard barbecues, we\u2019re obsessed with sharing good food\u2014and good times\u2014with friends and loved ones. But […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7360,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-7359","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-food"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7359","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7359"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7359\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7360"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7359"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7359"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7359"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}