Irish Cream Cheesecake

Ingredients

CRUST:

• 1 3/4 cups finely crushed chocolate graham crackers
• 6 tablespoons butter, (we recommend LAND O LAKES® Butter), melted

FILLING:

• 3 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 1/3 cup Irish cream liqueur (up to 1/2 cup)
• 3/4 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips, divided
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 9-inch spring form pan.
2. For crust, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter in medium bowl; stir until crumbly. Press onto bottom and 1 inch up side of prepared pan.
3. For filling, beat cream cheese and sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in liqueur.
4. Combine 1/2 cup morsels and flour in small bowl; gently stir into cream cheese mixture. Pour into crust. Sprinkle remaining morsels on top.
5. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until edge is set but center still moves slightly. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Loosen side of pan. Cover; refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate curls, if desired.

Thai Iced Tea

Ingredients

For 6 servings:

• 1 cup Thai Tea Mix
• 6 cups water
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups half and half (more or less, depending on preference)
• Ice

Directions

1. Bring water to boil and add the thai tea mix. Add sugar and gently stir to completely dissolve sugar. Gently boil tea for about 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Allow tea to steep for at least 30 minutes and allow it to cool. The more concentrated the tea flavor, the better the Thai tea tastes.
3. Strain the tea leaves. Set finished Thai tea aside to cool.
4. You can make this ahead of time and have the Thai tea chilling in the fridge. It's usually best to make it a day ahead.
5. To serve, fill glasses halfway with ice and pour in Thai tea, leaving enough room to fill in your half and half (or other creamer). For an 8 oz. glass, 3-4 tablespoons of half and half is good for a creamier flavor.

Matcha (Green Tea) Latte

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tsp. matcha (green tea powder)
• 1 Tbsp. hot water (not boiling water)
• 1 cup milk (dairy, almond, soy, etc)
• 1 tsp. sugar (optional)

Instructions

1. Sift green tea powder into the serving cup to get rid of the lumps in the powder.
2. Add hot (not boiling) water and whisk briskly until powder is all dissolved. This prevents the tea from having lumps in it so do not skip. The green tea paste should be smooth and foamy. You can use a small whisk, a frother or a chasen (bamboo whisk used for Japanese tea ceremony) to do this.
3. Add  milk and sugar in a small saucepan. Heat the milk over medium heat until small bubbles start to appear around the edge of the saucepan. Do not bring the milk to full boil. Turn off the heat. (Or use cold milk for iced latte.)
4. Froth the milk until foamy, about 10 seconds with a frother. (If you don't have a frother, you can skip this step.)
5. Add the milk and foam to the cup with the green tea paste and stir well. Dust the green tea powder on the top. (Add ice for an extra cold iced latte). Serve.

Hokkaido/Japanese Milk Bread

Ingredients

TANGZHONG (STARTER)

• 3 tablespoons water
• 3 tablespoons whole milk
• 2 tablespoons bread flour

DOUGH

• 2 1/2 cups bread flour
• 2 tablespoons nonfat dry milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon instant yeast
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup melted unsalted butter

Directions

1. To make the tangzhong: Combine all of the ingredients in a small saucepan, and whisk until no lumps remain.
2. Place the saucepan over low heat, and cook the mixture, whisking constantly, until thick and the whisk leaves lines on the bottom of the pan, about 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Transfer the tangzhong to a small mixing bowl or measuring cup and let it cool to room temperature.
4. To make the dough: Combine the tangzhong with the remaining dough ingredients, then mix and knead — by hand, mixer, or bread machine — until a smooth, elastic dough forms.
5. Shape the dough into a ball, and let it rest in a lightly greased covered bowl for 60 to 90 minutes, until puffy but not necessarily doubled in bulk.
6. Gently deflate the dough, divide it into 9 equal pieces, and shape each piece into a ball. (Fill with red bean paste, custard, or other filling if desired before shaping each dough piece into a ball.)
7. Place the rolls into a lightly greased 8x8 square baking pan. Cover the pan, and let the rolls rest for 40 to 50 minutes, until puffy. 
8. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Brush the rolls with milk or egg wash (1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water), and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown on top; a digital thermometer inserted into the center of the middle roll (no filling) should read at least 190 degrees Fahrenheit.
9. Remove the rolls from the oven. Allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.
10. Yield: 9 rolls.

*To make a loaf: After the dough's initial rise, divide it into four equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a rectangle, then fold the short ends in towards one another like a letter. Flatten the folded pieces into rectangles again and, starting with a short end, roll them each into a log. Place the logs in a row of four — seam side down and side by side — in a lightly greased 9" x 5" loaf pan. Cover the loaf and allow it to rest/rise for 40 to 50 minutes, until puffy. Brush the loaf with milk or egg wash and bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes, until golden brown on top and a digital thermometer inserted into the center of the loaf reads at least 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the loaf from the oven, and cool it on a rack.

Gyeranbbang (Korean egg bread)

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• a pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 eggs
• 1 teaspoon cooking oil

Directions

1. Make batter by combining butter, sugar, salt, baking powder,vanilla extract, 1 egg, flour, and milk. Whisk until smooth.
2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Brush the bottom and the sides of 3 mini loaf pans (approximately 4 x 2 x 1.5 inch) with cooking oil.
4. Fill each pan about 1/2 full with batter, dividing it into 3 equal portions. 
5. Crack an egg onto the center of the batter in each pan.
6. Place pans on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 13 minutes, or closer to 15 minutes if you prefer a solid egg.
7. Take out of the oven and serve hot.