Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner

Corned Beef and Cabbage is one of my favorite meals, but even more so now that I’ve come up with a technique for cooking it in an Instant Pot. Somehow it turns out even more tender and more flavorful. Plan to start about 2 hours before you want to serve dinner. I find a 6-qt instant pot is sufficient for the recipe below (feeds 4), Use a larger instant pot to feed more (total time may take a bit longer). This recipe works equally well with store-bought or homemade corned beef (here’s my awesome diy recipe).

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate link)

• Instant pot https://amzn.to/39944bL

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Instant Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage Dinner

makes 4 servings

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 3-pound corned beef with seasoning packet

• 4 cloves garlic, peeled

• 1 cup water (or beer)

• 1/2 head cabbage, cut into 4 wedges

• 1 pound baby potatoes (red or white skinned)

• 1 pound carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces

Directions

• Place 1 cup water (or beer) and trivet inside instant pot’s inner pot.

• Add corned beef and sprinkle with seasoning packet; add garlic cloves.

• Place lid on and be sure vent is set to “sealing”.

• Use “manual” or “pressure cook” setting to cook on high pressure for 1 hour.

• Quick release pressure and add potatoes, carrots, and cabbage wedges; replace lid with vent set to “sealing” and cook on high pressure for an additional 30 minutes.

• Quick release pressure and serve.

Notes

• Slice corned beef against the grain (see photo below).

• This recipe, which feeds 4, is designed for a 6-quart instant pot.

• You can substitute DIY Corned Beef instead of store-bought. The brining process in that recipe imparts enough flavor that you don’t need to worry about having the seasoning packet that is usually included with store-bought corned beef.

No-Bake Matcha Cheesecake

College girl spotted a no-bake matcha cheesecake recipe on a Japanese youtube channel and she asked me to make it for her. She absolutely loves matcha so I was more than happy to fulfill her request. The texture of this cheesecake is quite different than American-style cheesecake. One of my tasters commented, “it’s kind of… ‘bouncy’, but I like it!” I attribute that ‘bouncy’ texture to the addition of unflavored gelatin. It’s also not an overly sweet dessert which allows the delicate matcha flavor to shine though.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• my favorite digital scale https://amzn.to/3EHZkHL

• high quality culinary matcha powder https://amzn.to/2Kzq5oc

• 6-inch springform pan https://amzn.to/2N9tCv1

• parchment paper https://amzn.to/3I1TuTr

• unflavored gelatin https://amzn.to/2Z6O7uw

• hand mixer https://amzn.to/2Tz7Odv

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No-Bake Matcha Cheesecake

makes one 6-inch cheesecake (about 8 servings)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 400g cream cheese, room temperature

• 80g granulated sugar

• 60g whole milk, room temperature

• 10g unflavored gelatin (powder or granules)

• 100g high quality white chocolate

• 250g heavy whipping cream, room temperature

• 15g high quality matcha powder

• 100g heavy whipping cream, room temperature

• 50/50 mix of confectioners sugar and matcha powder for dusting

Directions

1. Prepare a 6-inch springform pan by lining the bottom with parchment paper, then use your fingers to spread a thin layer of oil (like nonstick cooking spray) on the sides of the pan; set aside.

2. In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin evenly over milk, being sure no dry clumps of gelatin remain (stir to wet all gelatin if necessary); set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to combine room temperature cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy; set aside.

4. In a medium glass or microwave-safe bowl, gently heat white chocolate until melted (10-15 second bursts), then add the reserved milk/gelatin mixture (from step 2) and stir until smooth (if gelatin granules don’t melt fully, gently warm mixture in microwave for 10 second bursts, stirring, and repeating until smooth); slowly stir in 250g heavy cream (start slowly and stir until smooth before adding more - repeat until all cream is added), place bowl in a large bowl that contains ice water and use handheld mixer to whip mixture until thickened.

5. To make the cheesecake base, fold the whipped heavy cream mixture (step 4) into the cream cheese mixture (step 3); reserve 150g of this cheesecake base to use as the top white layer.

6. In a small bowl, use a rubber or silicone spatula to combine 15g matcha with 100g heavy cream (again, start by adding a little cream at a time and stir until smooth before continuing)l stir matcha paste into cheesecake base (step 5) until fully incorporated; pour into prepared springform pan and spread into an even layer.

7. Top with the white top layer (150g reserved in step 5), spread into an even layer.

8. Cover pan with plastic wrap and chill for at least 6 hours or overnight.

9. To serve, wrap sides of pan with warm towel for a few minutes, then release springform (the parchment should peel off easily.

10. Dust top of cheesecake with 50/50 mixture of confectioner’s sugar and matcha powder and place on serving plate.

11. To slice, dip thin, sharp knife in hot water and wipe dry before each cut.

adapted from HidaMari Cooking

Notes

• If separating the layers is too fussy for you, feel free to combine them - we’ve enjoyed this cheesecake that was as well.

• I don’t like to wrap the sides of the springform pan with parchment because it tends to buckle after being exposed to the cheesecake mixture. You’ll get a smoother finished cheesecake if you simply spread a thin layer of oil on the sides of the pan.