Chocolate Cheesecake: What a hit!

I've been thinking about the idea of making a cheesecake for a while now but I needed to get myself a spring form pan...Well now I have 3! With no more excuses of lacking the right bake ware, I decided on a recipe... Chocolate cheesecake with a chocolate ganache topping, who wouldn't like that? I made this recipe and brought it to my grandmother's for Christmas dinner. It traveled well and was kept cold outside until ready to serve. I would say this cheesecake was a huge HIT and will be made for many more occasions! 

 

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 1/2 cups of chocolate wafer crumbs 

1/3 cup of unsalted butter, melted 

Filling: 

12 ounces of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used bittersweet Belgium milk chocolate from Bulk Barn) 

3 - 8 ounce packages of full fat cream cheese, room temperature 

1 cup of white sugar 

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 cup of sour cream, room temperature 

Ganache:

4 ounces of semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped (I used a bittersweet dark Belgium chocolate)

1/3 cup of heavy whipping cream

1 tsp unsalted butter, room temperature

Chocolate Cheesecake: Butter or spray with a non stick vegetable spray, a 10 inch (25 cm) spring form pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in center of oven.

Crust: In a medium sized bowl combine the chocolate wafer crumbs and melted butter. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom of the spring form pan. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.

 

For Filling: Melt the chopped chocolate in a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, in the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer) beat the cream cheese, on medium low speed, until smooth. Gradually beat in the sugar. Add the melted chocolate and beat until fully incorporated. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (about 30 seconds) after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla extract and sour cream and beat until thoroughly incorporated. Remove the crust from the refrigerator and pour in the filling. Place the cheesecake pan on a larger baking pan and place in the oven\.

Bake for about 50 - 55 minutes or until firm yet the center of the cheesecake will still look a little wet and wobbly. Remove from oven and carefully run a knife or spatula around the inside edge of pan to loosen the cheesecake (helps prevent the surface from cracking as it cools). Let cool and then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours before covering with the ganache. 

Ganache: Place the chopped chocolate in a stainless steel bowl. Heat the cream and butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring just to a boil. Immediately pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and allow to stand for a few minutes. Stir until smooth. Cool slightly and then pour over cheesecake. With an offset spatula or back of a spoon, evenly spread the ganache over the top of the cheesecake. Cover and return to the refrigerator for several hours or overnight. This cheesecake tastes best after being refrigerated for at least a day. I also thought it would be delicious to top it with some fresh raspberries or fruit, till next time I guess!

 C'est Parfait!

Chocolate Chip Cookies: Back to Basics

Chocolate chip cookies were not originally going to be part of my Christmas baking but as it turns out, they are one of my best friend's favorites!  They turned out really great... Crispy and golden around the edges and soft in the middle... Absolutely perfect!

 

Ingredients 

1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

3/4 cup granulated white sugar

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 375F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. 

In the bowl of your electric mixer (I used my electric mixer for this recipe) or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the white and brown sugars and beat until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, making sure to beat well after each egg. Add the pure vanilla and beat until mixed in. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture and beat until incorporated, adding the chocolate chips about half way through mixing.

Bake about 12 - 14 minutes (I baked them for closer to 14 minutes), or until golden brown around the edges. Cool completely on wire rack.

C'est délicieux!

Favorite: Lemon Blueberry Bread

This is my absolute favorite recipe that I've tried making this holiday season... It's delicious with the perfect amount of Lemon flavor and the blueberries add a little twist to your regular Lemon loaf. I`ve made to twice thus far, the first time as one large loaf and the second as 7 mini loaves...Both turned out great!

 

 Ingredients 

1½ cups all purpose flour 

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

6 tbsp unsalted butter at room temperature
¾ cup white sugar

2 eggs
½ tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
½ cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries

Lemon Glaze:
¼ cup white sugar
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Preheat over to 350F, butter or spray the loaf pan (I used PAM to spray my loaf pans). 

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.

In the bowl of your electric mixer. or with a hand mixer, beat the butter until softened (About 1 min.). Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla extract and lemon zest. With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture (in three additions) and the milk (in two additions) alternately, starting and ending with the flour mixture. Mix only until combined. Gently fold in the blueberries.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pans and bake for about 55 to 65 minutes (for the large loaf) and 25 to 30 minutes (for the mini loaves) or until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Meanwhile, in a small sauce pan, bring ¼ cup of sugar and the 2 tbsp of lemon juice to a boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

When the bread is done, remove from oven. Pierce the top with a tooth pick all over and spoon the lemon glaze on top. Cool the loaf in the pan for about 30 minutes then remove from pan and let cool on a wire rack.

Christmas Baking: Coconut Macaroons

I found this recipe is the strangest of places... I recently went to a Christmas craft sale with my aunts and grandmother on Calumet Island. I drove up from the city to meet them in order to attend this sale, turned out the sale wasn't that great and I didn't end up buying much...Except a cookbook!

My grandmother who also happens to be a huge cooking fan recommended it to me and out of curiosity and part guilt, I bought it. It's called "Good Tastes From Grand Calumet Island, QC" and is put together by Ste. Anne's Parish.

Ingredients 

1 tbsp. corn starch 
3 egg whites (I used egg whites from a carton because this is what I had in the house)
1 cup icing sugar
2 cups coconut (I added an extra 1/4 to 1/2 cup of coconut)
1 tsp. vanilla

Cook corn starch, icing sugar and stiffly beaten eggs whites (I used the stand mixer to beat the eggs) in a double boiler. Cook slowly for 15 minutes. Remove from stove, stir in coconut and vanilla. Mix well. Drop by the spoonful onto a greased pan (I sprayed some PAM). Bake at 300F until brown. 

I also made a batch of chocolate coconut macaroons by adding 1/2 cup of cocoa powder to the recipe. I added it in with the coconut and vanilla. Delish! These coconut macaroons are a HUGE hit and quite easy to whip up.

Et voilà

Bocconcini Stuffed Meatballs with Tomato-Pesto Sauce

Now I have to give credit where credit is due. This is a Rachael Ray recipe from her newest cookbook "look+cook". I made this a few weeks ago for my boyfriend as a change to the regular spaghetti and meatballs... It's a great change up and tasted fabulous!!

Serves 4 yet we still managed to have lots of leftovers which were just as delicious!

Ingredients

4 slices of stale white or farmhouse style bread, town into pieces
Milk, to moisten the bread 
2½ pounds ground beef, pork and veal mix (I used 1 pound beef and half a pound of pork and veal)
3 garlic cloves, grated or minced
A generous handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
¾ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
1 egg
Salt & Pepper 
16 bocconcini cheese (mini or cocktail size)
2 TBSP of olive oil, plus about ¼ cup
1 (28 ounce) can of plum tomatoes
1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
1 TSP grated lemon zest
¼ cup vegetable or chicken stock 

Preheat the oven to 425F. Place the torn bread in a small bowl, cover with milk, and soak for a few minutes. To a mixing bowl add the ground meats, 2 of the grated or minced garlic cloves, the chopped parsley, a handful of grated cheese, the egg, and salt and pepper. Squeeze the liquid out of the soaked bread and crumble it as you add it to the bowl. Mix to combine. Take a handful of meatball mix in your palm and flatten it, nestle a mozzarella bite into the center and roll the meat around it, making 16 meatballs total, each about 2 to 3 ounces. Transfer the stuffed meatballs to a rimmed baking sheet as you roll them. Coat the balls with about 2 Tbsp of olive oil and roast for 18 to 20 minutes until they are firm and brown.

About 10 minutes before the meatballs are done, pour the canned tomatoes into a small skillet and mash them with a potato masher or wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper and cook over medium to medium-high heat to thicken them a bit.

Pile the basil, lemon zest, ½ cup parsley leaves, stock, the remaining grated or minced garlic and salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor. With the processor on, stream in about ¼ cup of olive oil until a thick paste forms.

When ready to serve, fold the pesto in the thickened tomatoes. Ladle the sauce into a shallow bowls and top with meatballs and sprinkle with Parmigiano cheese. I served this dish on a bed of pasta and it was delish!