Double Chocolate Cheesecake

A lot of people think cheesecake must be really difficult to make. I think this is because it is so rich, and because it costs so much to buy just a single slice of cheesecake. But, actually, cheesecake is a very easy dessert to make. (I should quit telling people how easy it is to make my recipes, and just open up shop somewhere!)

When I first made this double chocolate cheesecake, I wondered if the white chocolate would make a difference—there's so much more cream cheese than chocolate. But you really can taste the white chocolate and it's delightful.

Perhaps in tribute to my absolute favorite part of this recipe, it should be called Triple Chocolate Cheesecake. Because the chocolate-hazelnut crust is a different chocolate flavor from the cake itself, or the ganache topping. And this crust is to - die - for! Seriously, I could just spoon it up and eat it by itself. (Or it could make a really nice ice-cream topping.)

In the photo, my cake is topped with white chocolate curls, which made it look very elegant. I'm not telling you how to make them though, because it would be a very lengthy explanation. I'll bet you could find directions online somewhere if you tried.

DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

CRUST:
2 cups Nabisco Famous Wafer crumbs
1 cup hazelnuts, toasted
1 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

FILLING:
10 oz. white chocolate

4 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp. sugar
5 large eggs
5 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream
5 Tbsp. sour cream
2 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

GANACHE TOPPING:
12 oz. dark chocolate, finely chopped (no pieces bigger than 1/4-inch)
1 cup heavy cream

Line the bottom of a 9 to 10-inch springform pan with foil; tuck foil underneath pan bottom, assemble pan, then tighten the foil up the sides of the pan. Cut a circle of parchment paper, the size of the pan bottom, and place in the bottom of the pan. Spray lightly with cooking spray.

For the crust: In food processor, blend crumbs, nuts and sugar until hazelnuts are ground fine. Add butter and combine well. Press into bottom and halfway up sides of prepared pan. Bake at 325-degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

For the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add sugar and beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the flour and the vanilla.
In a separate bowl, melt the white chocolate; stir until smooth. In a slow stream, add the melted chocolate to the cream cheese mixture, beating, until filling is well combined.

Pour the cream cheese mixture into the crust. Place the cheesecake into a roasting pan [actually I use my deep-dish pizza pan]. Set the roasting pan in the oven and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the outside of the springform pan. Bake for about one hour--until a thin knife comes out pretty darn clean. Turn off the heat and keep the oven door ajar, leaving the cake in the oven for one more hour.
Remove the pan from the water bath and fold the foil down away from the sides of the pan. Place on a cooling rack and let cake cool to room temperature.
Now you can put it into the fridge.

For the topping: Place the chocolate pieces in a medium, heat-proof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, but do not let it boil. Immediately pour the hot cream over the chocolate pieces. Tap the bowl on the counter to settle the cream into the chocolate, then let it sit for 1 minute. Using a rubber spatula, slowly stir, being careful not to incorporate a lot of air into the ganache. Stir until all the chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes.
Let the ganache cool--so it's cool to touch, but not set-up.
Do not remove the sides from the springform pan until the cake is topped, and the ganache has a chance to set up!
Pour ganache over the top of the cooled cheesecake; spread evenly.
Refrigerate until the topping is set (give it a couple of hours), then remove the springform sides. Return to refrigerator until 1/2 to 1-hour before serving.

Thoroughly decadent!

Raspberry Trifle

OK. You could probably make this with a cake mix and instant pudding. But that’s just not as cool.

So this recipe actually involves a series of recipes (see below). And you really could use any kind of fruit—I think pineapple would be great, or strawberries, or blueberries, bananas, blackberries . . . But the raspberries were really delicious, and they made it look very pretty, too.

RASPBERRY TRIFLE

1 recipe Sour Cream-Vanilla Pudding
1 recipe Raspberry Puree
1 recipe Sponge Sheet Cake
3 cups fresh raspberries
lightly sweetened, freshly whipped cream

To assemble the trifle: Cut cake into approximately 2-inch squares. Cover bottom of trifle bowl with cake pieces. Tuck 2-3 fresh raspberries between outer cake squares; scatter some more berries over center (use about 1 cup berries). Spread 1/3 of raspberry puree over center. Cover all with 1/3 of Sour Cream-Vanilla Pudding. Repeat two more times. Before serving, top with whipped cream.


SOUR CREAM-VANILLA PUDDING

5½ Tbsp. cornstarch
1⅛ cup sugar
⅛ tsp. salt
6-7 large egg yolks
4¼ cups whole milk
vanilla, to taste (1-2 tsp.)
8 Tbsp. unsalted butter (1 stick)
1½ cups sour cream

Mix cornstarch, sugar and salt together in a medium saucepan. Whisk in egg yolks and in milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. [Do not let it boil.] Remove from heat and add vanilla and butter; stir until butter is melted and completely incorporated. Cover closely with plastic, and let cool to room temperature. Mix in sour cream. Refrigerate, closely covered, until ready to use.



SPONGE SHEET CAKE

6 large eggs, separated and brought to room temperature
½ tsp. cream of tartar
½ tsp. salt
3 Tbsp. sugar
½ cup sugar
½ tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. almond extract (optional; but if you don’t use it, increase the vanilla to 1 tsp.)
2 Tbsp. hot water
1 cup cake flour

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a jelly-roll pan; line pan bottom with waxed paper, allowing 1-inch overhang on each end. Do not grease paper.
In a large bowl, whip egg whites at medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt, increase mixer speed to medium-high, and beat to soft peaks. Slowly sprinkle on 3 Tbsp. sugar; continue to beat until whites are shiny and thick, 3-4 minutes. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix egg yolks, vanilla and hot water; beat at high speed 1 minute. Slowly add ½ cup sugar; beat until mixture is pale, shiny and almost as thick as marshmallow cream—4-5 minutes longer.
Scrape yolk mixture over egg whites; gently fold with rubber spatula until about 2/3 mixed. Sift flour over egg mixture; gently fold until flour is completely incorporated. Spread batter in prepared pan, smoothing top with rubber spatula. Bake until lightly browned and center springs back when gently pressed, about 12-15 minutes.
Immediately after baking, free the cake edges from the pan sides with a knife and smooth a sheet of waxed paper over the cake top. Place another sheet pan or cookie sheet on top of the cake. Flip over as shown, then lift off the baking pan. Let the cake cool completely, then gently peel the waxed paper off the cake bottom, removing the bottom crust. Flip the cake top side up, then peel off the second sheet of waxed paper, removing the top crust. (Can be wrapped in plastic, then in foil and refrigerated for 1 day).

RASPBERRY PUREE
Sounds kind of like “Raspberry Beret.” But I don’t really know that song.

2 cups frozen raspberries, thawed
3-4 Tbsp. sugar

Puree berries and sugar in blender or food processor. Strain through fine sieve, pressing on solids to release juice; discard seeds. (Can be covered and refrigerated 1 day.)

Now that all the ingredients are made, you can assemble the trifle, as described at the very beginning of this post. :-)

It Really IS Spring!

Trees budding, changeable weather, tulips popping up, grass greening—it is springtime! So, naturally, this is the time for Pasta Primavera (which literally means Springtime Pasta). This recipe has nothing to do with the big party last week. It's just a really yummy, family-favorite around here—even the kids love it. And that's saying something!

PASTA PRIMAVERA

3 Tbsp. butter
1/2 lb. asparagus, tough ends snapped off
1 small zucchini, diced
1/4 cup slivered ham
1-2 small carrots, sliced thinly
1/4 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dry basil
freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
8 oz. linguine or fettucine, cooked according to package directions

Slice the asparagus diagonally, in 1-inch slices, leaving the tips whole.
Melt butter in a large saute pan; add asparagus, zucchini, ham, carrots and mushrooms. Cook for 2 minutes, uncovered; then cover and cook 3 more minutes. Add the salt, basil, nutmeg and peas; toss to combine. Pour heavy cream into pan and let cook until large, shiny bubbles appear on surface.
Toss vegetable mixture with pasta; add half of the Parmesan cheese and toss to combine. Serve hot and pass the remaining Parmesan.
Delish!

I think this would be good with some shrimp tossed into the sauce, too. I'll have to try that out some time (although, then my kids probably wouldn't like it so much.)

Chocolate Mousse Pie

I have a friend who swears chocolate mousse pie will induce labor. It’s never worked for me;
but it’s still delicious anyway. And this recipe is to-die-for heavenly!

CHOCOLATE MOUSSE PIE

1 Oreo pie crust
8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped fine
2 Tbsp. cocoa powder
6 Tbsp. water
2 large eggs, separated
4 Tbsp. sugar
⅛ tsp. salt
1 cup + 2 Tbsp. heavy cream, chilled
whipped cream, for topping

Combine chocolate and water in a medium heatproof bowl set over a saucepan filled with 1-inch of barely simmering water; melt, stirring frequently until smooth. Remove from heat.
Whisk egg yolks, 2 Tbsp. of the sugar, and the salt in a medium bowl about 30 seconds. Pour melted chocolate into the egg mixture and whisk until combined. Let cool about 3-5 minutes.
In a clean bowl, beat egg whites at medium-low speed until frothy (1-2 minutes). Add remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar, increase speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form, about 1 minute. Whisk a few strokes by hand, making sure to scrape any unbeaten whites from the bottom of the bowl.
Using a whisk, stir about ¼ of beaten egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it; gently fold in remaining egg whites with rubber spatula until a few white streaks remain.
In the original egg-white bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form. With a rubber spatula, fold the whipped cream into the chocolate stuff until no white streaks remain. Spoon mousse into the pie shell. [Or you could skip the pie shell and spoon it into individual serving dishes. But then it wouldn't be Chocolate Mousse Pie.] Cover and refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours. (May be refrigerated up to 24 hours.)

Serve topped with whipped cream.

Strawberries

The Strawberry Bouquet the other night was truly spectacular. I even had one friend who said she thought it was made of real roses. I grant you, she forgot her glasses that night; but still . . .
The roses were made of chocolate-dipped strawberries and strawberry candies, which were all skewered and set into a styrofoam block. The greens really are just silk plants (you can't eat those!)—to make the whole thing look nice.

I think that if I had some good marketing skills a basket of these roses could easily sell for $75 (which works out to be about $1 per "flower"). But you, you lucky readers, can make your own for substantially less. [Although, if you don't want to take the trouble, I will happily make you one for $75—if you live in Salt Lake
County. ;-) ]

And not only is it beautiful, it is really tasty, too!

STRAWBERRIES

a handful of slivered almonds

green food coloring
1 cup finely chopped nuts (I use blanched almonds)

1 cup shredded coconut

2 (3 oz.) pkg. strawberry jello

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp. vanilla

red sugar (cookie/cake sprinkles)

green sugar

In a sandwich baggie, toss the slivered almonds with green food coloring until they are green all over. Let them dry on paper towels.

In a small bowl, combine nuts, coconut, jello, sweetened condensed milk and vanilla. Mix thoroughly [I find it easiest to knead it by hand.] Pinch off a little of the dough and mash, roll and pinch it into a strawberry shape. Roll it in the red sugar, then dip the top end in a little of the green sugar. Insert a green almond into the top for a stem. Voila! Strawberries!

Very cute, and tasty! [Sounds like what Bruce says about me. ;-) ]

Chocolate

Some of the upcoming recipes will require you to melt chocolate. Chocolate is very fussy; if you don't do it right it will "lose it's temper." (And yes, that really is what chocolatiers call it—losing it's temper.) Basically, this means the chocolate will look ugly and won't be smooth-textured when you're done. You don't want to make chocolate lose it's temper!

I've found all kinds of worky instructions for melting/tempering chocolate, and I'm sure they give you the true and correct way to do it every time. But it involves buying a special chocolate thermometer, and heating and cooling and heating and cooling several times until it is just right. So this is the easy way to get it right most of the time:

This is for real chocolate--not chocolate chips (or Hershey bars, etc.) I'm talking about something like a Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate baking bar (I also like the semi-sweet). Or the really nice, expensive chocolate you can buy at nicer baking supply stores, like Peter's chocolate.

But for our purposes, we'll use two Ghirardelli bars, which you can find at the grocery store.

• Chop your chocolate into small pieces, no larger than 1/2-inch.
• Put about half of the chocolate pieces in a heat-proof bowl (I use a soup bowl).
• Bring 2 inches of water to simmer in a small saucepan, over medium heat.
• Set the bowl of chocolate over the pan, reduce heat to low. Do not let the water boil under your chocolate. It just needs to be hot.
• DO NOT LET ANY WATER GET INTO THE CHOCOLATE!
• Let chocolate sit until the pieces are glossy, have lost definition, and are fully melted around the edges.
• Remove bowl from heat and gently stir the chocolate until it is completely liquid (you don't want to incorporate a lot of air into it).
• It should just barely feel warm to touch--not hot at all.
• Now it is ready for dipping or molding.
• When the chocolate cools off too much to be used, add a little more chocolate to the bowl and repeat the process.
  
  

Simple. :-)

Garlic Chicken and Parslied Potatoes

Last night was our ward's Relief Society birthday social. The menu was fantastic, and received rave reviews.

The Garlic Chicken was excellent! A dish of tender chicken breasts, subtly seasoned with herbs, and served with a sauce that’s a garlic-lover’s dream. This recipe will fill your home—and maybe your neighbor’s—with an irresistible aroma. As a matter of fact, a friend came over to my house yesterday the afternoon to deliver some potatoes for the dinner, and she said as soon as she opened her car door she could smell the good things cooking inside the house.

Don't let the amount of garlic deter you. This dish really is superb! [If you don't believe me, you can ask Marian. ;-) ]

CHICKEN WITH GARLIC SAUCE

2 Tbsp. flour
1 1/2 tsp. sage
1 1/2 tsp. rosemary
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
4 (6-oz.) boneless chicken breasts
3 Tbsp. olive oil
20 garlic cloves, cut in half lengthwise
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 white onion, chopped
1/4 cup white wine
1 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 Tbsp. soft butter mixed with 1 Tbsp. flour
3 Tbsp. Italian parsley (optional—for garnish)

Preheat oven to 325°. Combine flour, sage, rosemary, salt and pepper on a plate. Dredge the chicken breasts in the flour mixture, shaking off the excess flour. Heat 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil in a large sauté pan set on medium-high heat until sizzling, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken breasts to the pan and cook for 4 minutes on each side. Transfer to a baking dish.
Add the remaining olive oil to the sauté pan and heat over medium-high heat until sizzling, about 1 minute. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and onion and cook until the onion softens and the garlic begins to brown, about 3 minutes. Pour the wine into the saute pan and cook until reduced by half. Add the chicken stock and boil until reduced by half, about 7-8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter-flour mixture, stirring until it has melted completely. Return the pan to the heat and boil for a minute, until the sauce thickens.
Spoon sauce over chicken breasts, and bake for 15 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Serve chicken topped with sauce and garnish with Italian parsley.

And the perfect compliment to this savory chicken dish is the subtle flavor of Parslied Potatoes. These yummy potatoes take less than an hour to make, from start to finish, and they go good with just about anything!

PARSLIED POTATOES

3 lbs. small red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into about 1-inch cubes (think potato salad)
5 chicken bouillon cubes
1/4 cup butter
1/2 tsp. salt
black pepper, freshly ground
dash paprika (optional)
1/4 to 1/3 cup chopped parsley

Absolutely dice the potatoes before you cook them! (This way the skins won't shred off while you are trying to chop them up.)
Put the potato cubes into a large pot; put in the bouillon cubes and add water to cover it all (about 7 cups water). Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are fork-tender. [Check them after 10 minutes, and then about every 5 minutes or so after that until they are done.] Scoop out 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid; set it aside.
Drain the potatoes in a colander. Put the butter, reserved cooking liquid, salt, dash pepper and paprika into the cooking pot. Stir until the butter is melted, then return the potatoes to the pot. Add the parsley and toss gently until potatoes are covered with the other ingredients.
Serve and enjoy . . . with anything!

Coming up next . . . the fabulous dessert-bar recipes!