.white chocolate raspberry cheesecake.

I have to admit I have a slight addiction to cheesecake.  Probably one of the reasons I love going to The Cheesecake Factory.  There's just something about that creamy baked filling and the graham cracker crust.  I love all variations!

This recipe has melted white chocolate mixed into the batter, and jellied raspberries on top.  A delightful marriage.  Here's how I made it.

Begin by creaming together 4 8oz packages of cream cheese (softened) and 1/2 cup (1 cube) butter (softened).  

Once creamed, scrape down the sides and add 3 eggs.  Mix well.

Add 1 cup sugar, 3 Tbsp flour, and 1 tsp vanilla.

Melt 8 ounces white chocolate (use a good quality brand) in a double boiler.  When the white chocolate just starts melting, turn the heat off and let the steam finish it off.  Pour into the cream cheese mixture and mix well, scraping sides down.

Prepare one graham cracker crust by crushing 1 package (about 2 cups), then adding 2 tsp sugar, and 1/4 cup melted butter.  Press into the bottom of a 9" springform pan.

Pour the cream cheese mixture into the pan and wrap the entire pan with foil.

The foil will keep water from getting into the pan.  Put a baking sheet that has sides in your oven and fill halfway up with water.  Place the springform pan in the center.  Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hrs in a preheated 325* oven.

When done, the top should be slightly browned.  The center should be set and there shouldn't be any cracking on the surface at all.

Allow to cool to room temp then cover well with saran and put in the fridge to chill at least 5 hours, but best if you can let it chill overnight.

Now for the topping.  You can use fresh or frozen raspberries.  In a saucepan put 1 1/2 cups berries with 1/2 cup sugar, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, and 1/2 cup water.  Put on the stove over high heat.  Make sure you stir often to keep this from burning.

When it's done, it should be nice and thick.  At this time, I added another 1/2 cup or so of berries because the ones I put in the pan originally have cooked down a lot and I like to have some whole berries in there.

Spread out on top of the cheesecake and then put back into the fridge to chill another hour to really let that raspberry topping set up.

When you're ready to serve, use a thin knife and run along the sides to release the cheesecake from the pan.  Carefully open up the side of the pan and remove.

Heat a butcher's knife by running under hot water.  Dry the blade and slice the cheesecake.  This will keep the cake from sticking to the metal when you pull through.  Serve with some whipped cream.

Printable version:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_149f782pdf6

.dutch apple cheesecake.

If you haven't noticed, my blog is taking a slight transformation. One problem I've been running into is the new alignment has messed up some of my older entries - pictures are smooshed together and words are difficult to read. If you encounter one of these problems, please email me. I've gotten pretty far back, but still need to do the rest so anything from January to April hasn't been touched but I will get to it within the next couple days.

More changes will take place, but do not be alarmed. I'm only doing it to give my blog a more streamline look. I appreciate your comments so keep them coming! Let me know what you think. :)

Alright.. now on to the good stuff. I feel like I've been making a lot of apple things lately but it's only because it's so "fall-ish" and apple is one of my favorites. This cheesecake is really a showstopper because it has pieces of cinnamon apples folded into the batter and has a buttery crumb topping. It's sure to be a hit at any of your holiday gatherings this year.



Peel, core and chop 2 granny smith apples. You could probably use any firm baking apple you want. I prefer granny smith. Go with what you like!


Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a skillet.


Add the apples and stir to coat with the butter. Start sauteeing over medium high heat.


Add 1/4 cup brown sugar.


Add a pinch of kosher salt.


And add 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

Stir everything to coat and cook until the brown sugar begins to caramelize on the apples. Don't let the apples cook too long because you don't want them turning to mush when it bakes in the oven.


Set aside and allow to cool. Now let's make the crust.


You want to use this kind of graham crackers. Make sure they say cinnnnamoonnnnn. Repeat after me. "Cinnnnamonnnnnn."


Take out one pack and put in a ziploc. Crush with a rolling pin or your choice of crushing machinery.


Add 1/2 cup oatmeal. I used quick oats but you can use regular as well.


Add 2 Tbsp sugar.


Pour in 4 Tbsp melted butter.

Smoosh everything together until all the graham crackers and oatmeal are coated with butter.


Pour all the contents of the ziploc into the springform pan. Use the back of the measuring cup and press into the bottom.


See? Nice and packed.


In a mixing bowl, put 4 - 8oz packages cream cheese and 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter. Use a whisk attachment and beat until smooth.


Add 1 cup sugar Mix on high until fluffy.


Add 3 eggs one at a time, mixing between each addition.


Add 3 Tbsp flour.


Add 1 tsp vanilla and mix well.



Fold in 1 cup sour cream.


Dump in the cinnamon apples and fold into the batter.


Pour into pan and smooth out.

Now at this point, the batteries on my camera decided to DIE ON ME so you'll just have to picture the image in your own head.

Wrap the base of the pan with heavy duty foil. You want to make sure water doesn't seep into the pan while it bakes.

Set the pan on a cookie sheet or some kind of pan with sides. Add water and put in a 325* oven. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. When the middle is setting, it's time to add the topping!


Put 1 cup flour and 2/3 cup brown sugar in a bowl. Mix together.


Cut in 1/2 cup butter.


Add 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Nuts are optional so if you don't want them, don't add them.


Open the oven and without taking the cheesecake out of the oven, spread the topping all over the top.

Raise the temp to 350* and bake another hour to hour and half. The topping should be nice and golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool to room temp. Cover the top with foil and put in the fridge and chill completely, if not overnight.

To get nice slices of cheesecake, heat a butcher knife until hot water. Dry the knife and slice. Serve with a little caramel sauce and some whipped cream.


Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_114c9sph7gp

.turtle cheesecake.

At the bakery, cheesecake was always a big seller. We used to make all different types too... dutch apple pie, cherry, blueberry, key lime, strawberry... you name it! Turtle cheesecake was very popular. It has the same ingredients that you find in turtle chocolates - pecans, caramel, and chocolate. Perfect combination!


Give yourself a full day before serving this after making. You want to make sure it's had plenty of time to chill. It's the perfect show-stopping dessert to really impress your friends.


Begin by crushing one package graham crackers. Sprinkle in 2 tsp sugar. Melt 1/2 cup butter and drizzle that in. Smoosh everything around in the ziploc to get all the graham crackers nice and coated.

Dump into a 9" springform pan and press using the bottom of a measuring cup.

In a mixing bowl, put 1/2 cup butter (softened) and 4 (count 'em...FOUR) 8 oz packages cream cheese (softened). Use the whisk attachment on your mixer to whip this together.

Add 1 cup sugar. Whip on high to mix everything together. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides.

Add three eggs. Mix on high. The batter will get really light at this point.

Add 3 Tbsp flour.

and 1 1/2 tsp vanilla.

This is the kind of caramel you want to buy. You can find it down the aisle that has all the ice cream toppings.

Pour in 1/2 cup of the caramel.



Mix everything really well.

Remove bowl from the mixer and fold in 1 cup sour cream.

Pour the batter into the springform pan on top of the graham cracker crust. Spread it evenly using a rubber spatula.

Tear off 6 long strips of foil. Fold one of the long edges a few times. Open it up. There will be 3 pieces of foil on one side, and 3 on the other.

Sit your cheesecake in the middle of the foil and wrap the pan. We're going to be steaming the cheesecake and don't want any water to get into our pan.

Sit the wrapped springform pan on a baking sheet that is filled with water. Bake at 325* (make sure you preheat the oven, please) for about an hour... hour and a half. Oven cook times vary so be sure to check for doneness. You want the center set, but not cracked. When it's done baking, turn the oven off but leave the cheesecake in there. We want to gradually cool this baby.

Once it's cooled in the oven, pull and set on the counter and let cool to room temp. Open up the foil too.



Leave your cheesecake sitting on the foil though. We're about to make a mess. LOL




Turn the oven to 450*. Toast some pecans. You know their done when you can smell them. That means the oils have released from the nut and have toasted it nicely.



Remove from the oven and let cool.

Now we're going to make the ganache. Heat 1 cup cream in a saucepan. Scald it. Meaning over medium heat heat it up until a skin forms on top. Don't let this boil!

While the cream heats up, measure out 2 cups chocolate chips and put in a bowl. I use standard semi sweet. The better the chocolate, obviously the better the ganache will be. So use what you like.














Pour the hot cream over the chocolate chips. Let it sit for a minute to soften the chocolate.



Begin stirring in a circular fashion using a rubber spatula. You don't want to let air into this so keep the spatula under the surface. Don't be tempted to lift it up and scrape sides and stuff.



This is what the ganache will turn into. A wonderful chocolate sauce! Mmmmm....

















Pour the ganache on top of the cheesecake. Spread out using the spatula.

Evenly sprinkle the toasted pecans on top.

Use some more of the caramel sauce and drizzle it back and forth across the top of the nuts. This is why you want to keep the foil underneath because the caramel will drip over edge a little and will make a horrible mess of your counter.




Put the cheesecake in the fridge and chill overnight.




Just before serving, heat a thin blade up (like a boning knife) and run it along the edge of the cheesecake to loosen it from the pan. Open up the springform pan and remove the sides.



To serve, heat the blade of a butcher's knife under a hot tap. Dry the blade and quickly cut the slices. Whip up some whipped cream and serve on top and/or on the side.



If you want to really get fancy with it, drizzle some Hershey's chocolate syrup and the caramel on the plate before putting the cheesecake slice on it. Enjoy!

Printable version:
http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dg2vfjqm_51fc57d6sw