Cheesecake Time!

Last month, my roommate Shannon turned the big 2-1! My other roommate Jocelyn and I were in a bit of a predicament, because Shannon does not like cake. At all. Luckily, for my birthday, Rebecca gave me a binder full of about 52 cheesecake recipes, so I gave it to Shannon and let her pick one. She chose the White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake. I'm pretty sure it's a Cheesecake Factory recipe, but I gave it a go.

The inside

Just a slice... of heaven!

Shannon and Jocelyn loved it! I liked the middle, but thought that around the edge there was too much raspberry. 

OH! The recipe calls for Oreos without the stuffing for the crust, but that seemed like way too much work. Instead, I used chocolate Teddy Grams. 

The Cheesecake Factory's White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake

crust 

1½ cups chocolate cookie crumbs or 20 crumbled Oreo cookies (filling removed) 
1/3 cup margarine, melted

filling 

½ cup raspberry preserves 
¼ cup water 
4 x 8 oz pkgs cream cheese 
1¼ cups granulated sugar 
½ cup sour cream 
2 tspn vanilla extract 
5 eggs 
4 oz white chocolate, chopped into chunks

garnish 

2 oz white chocolate, shaved 
whipped cream 

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. 

Place a large pan or oven-safe skillet filled with about ½" of water into the oven while it preheats. This will be your water bath. 

Combine the raspberry preserves with ¼ cup water in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1½ minutes on high in your microwave. 

Stir until smooth. Strain to remove the raspberry seeds (toss 'em out), then let the strained preserves sit to cool, then put the bowl in the refrigerator until later. 

Measure 1½ cups chocolate cookie crumbs, or crush 20 Oreo cookie wafers ( with the filling scraped out ) into a medium bowl. Mix in 1/3 cup melted margarine. Press the crumb into a 9" spring form pan that has been lined on the bottom and side with parchment paper. Using the bottom of a drinking glass or similar, press the crumb mixture flat into the bottom of the pan and about 2/3 the way up the side. Wrap a large piece of foil around the bottom of the pan to keep the cheesecake in the water bath. Put the crust in your freezer until the filling is done. 

Use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese with the sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix for a couple minutes or until the ingredients are smooth and creamy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl and then add them to the cream cheese mixture. Blend the mixture just enough to integrate the eggs. 

Remove the crust from the freezer and sprinkle 4 oz of white chocolate chunks onto the bottom of the crust. Pour half of the cream cheese filling into the crust. Drizzle the raspberry preserves over the entire surface of the filling. Use a butter knife to swirl the raspberry into the cream cheese. 

Just a couple passes is fine, you don't want to blend the raspberry and cream cheese together too much. Pour the other half of the filling into the crust. 

Carefully place the cheesecake into the water bath in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes at 475°F, then turn the oven down to 350°F and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the top of the cheesecake turns a light brown or tan color. Remove the cheesecake from the oven to cool. When the cheesecake is cool, use the foil from the bottom to cover the cheesecake and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. 

Before serving, sprinkle the entire top surface of cheesecake with 2 oz of shaved white chocolate. To serve, slice the cheesecake into 12 equal portions. Apply a pile of canned whipped cream to the top of each slice and serve.

The Last Supper

Hey guys!

I'm not really sure how to do any of this blogging stuff but am blessed by a creative sister who does. So, kudos to Alli for creating this blog and bringing this idea to light! Although I am not the best cook, I do love food and am always looking for fun new ideas to try in the kitchen. I thought this could be a good way to share recipes and tips and to keep in touch! So, without further ado...

"The Last Supper" (with my boyfriend until next school break) menu:

Basil Pesto Lasagna, Ciabatta, and Cabernet Franc

Red Velvet Cheesecake

I found the Pesto Lasagna recipe on one of the many Foodnetwork shows I watched during my break. The recipe calls to make your own pesto; however, the grocery store I typically shop at did not have enough basil on hand. So, I cheated and bought pre-made pesto. Three 7oz. containers of it in fact (I used Buitoni pesto). You then boil a pound of lasagna noodles and layer the noodles and the pesto in a casserole dish. The noodles kind of stuck together after boiling them and it was a little difficult to get them apart without tearing, so I would suggest putting a little olive oil in the pot when its boiling. You then sprinkle the top layer with parm cheese and bake for about 20 minutes. It came out tasting great and I even got a thumbs up from the boy! Plus, it was super easy, which is always good for me :) The pic at the top is what it looked like--you can see even our cat wanted a piece! Sorry the pictures aren't that great, I lost my camera so these pics were taken from a camera phone. Here's the recipe, including how to make the homemade pesto.

Pesto Lasagna Recipe :
Ingredients

For the pesto:
4 cups basil leaves, loosely packed, washed and tough stems trimmed and roughly torn
2 cups finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 2 ounces)
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts
8 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons kosher salt

For the lasagna:
1 pound fresh lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
1 cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (about 1-ounce)

Directions
For the pesto: Combine half pesto ingredients in a blender or food processor, and process until evenly combined, about 1 minute. Add remaining ingredients and process until evenly blended, about 1 more minute. Taste and adjust seasoning, as desired.

For the lasagna: Heat oven to 375 degrees F and arrange rack in upper third.
Meanwhile, alternatively layer a scant 1/4 cup pesto and 1 sheet of fresh lasagna noodles in an 8 by 8-inch baking dish, trimming noodles, as needed, to fit. There should be about 10 to 12 layers. Top lasagna with cheese and bake until bubbly around edges and cheese is melted, about 20 to 25 minutes. Let sit at least 20 minutes before serving.

The red velvet cheesecake was something I had been wanting to try for quite some time. I have a strong love for all things red velvet and a strong love for cheesecake, so the two together are just my kind of treat! For the crust I just used Oreo cookies (had to scrape out the middles) because I could not find regular chocolate wafer cookies. I also used about half of the red food coloring because a. I was worried about the sheer amount of red dye in my system and b. food coloring is expensive! I was still satisfied by the "redness" of the finished product. I was also a little worried about the cheesecake burning b/c the recipe does not say anything about putting the cheesecake in a water bath. To be on the safe side, I put it in one (it ended up being done in about an hour and 30 min). Although I've been having a difficult time getting pieces to come out in complete slices (it keeps falling apart), it tastes Ah-mazing! Hope you enjoy!

Red Velvet Cheesecake
Ingredients
***Crust***
1 1/2 cup chocolate cookie crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon sugar

***Cheesecake***
3 packages (8 oz. size) cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 cup sour cream
1/3 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon white vinegar
2 bottles (1 oz. size) red food coloring

***Frosting***
1 package (3 oz. size) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract:

Directions:
Crust: Combine cookie crumbs, melted butter and sugar. Press into 9-inch spring-form pan.

Cheesecake: Beat cream cheese with sugar for 1 minute. Add eggs, cocoa, sour cream, buttermilk, vanilla, vinegar and food color. Mix on low speed jut until fully combined. Pour into prepared crust. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 F. Bake 1 hour and 15 minutes until center is firm. Cool on wire rack 30 minutes. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Frosting: Beat cream cheese and butter until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar and vanilla. Spread over cheese cake. Remove sides of pan. Garnish.

Talk to you all soon!

Bec

ps. I know the spacing is all screwy--please bear with me as I try to figure out how to use this thing!