Chocolate Stout Cheesecake

You guys didn't honestly think I forgot about our 3rd day of cheesecake, did you?!

Recipe Jealousy reared its ugly head today.  I had entered a contest a few months back for Adventure Ingredient Cupcakes.  The winners were announced today, and ALL of the winning recipes included stout beer, despite the fact that there were 14 ingredients to choose from.  So, needless to say, I am slightly bitter about today's recipe including stout beer, but many congratulations to the winners!  I am sure their cupcakes are worthy of the prizes, but this also means that I can now share my entered cupcake recipe with you guys later this week!

Anywho, back to the cheesecake! It ended up having a velvety texture and flavor, and is extremely rich!  You can taste the beer, but it is not overwhelming!

Chocolate Stout Cheesecake
Yields 8 - 10 servings

Ingredients 

Filling
16 ounces softened cream cheese
8 ounces sour cream
1 bottle of Stout beer (I used Sam Adams Cream Stout)
7 ounces of cacao in the 70 - 79% range (I used Ghiradelli 72% Twilight Delight)
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs

Crust
2 cups chocolate Teddy Grahams crumbs (break them down in a food processor or blender)
4 tbsp melted butter

To Prepare the Cheesecake 
1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Wrap the outside of a spring form pan with aluminum foil
3. Mix the Teddy Graham crumbs and butter together in a bowl with a fork until evenly mixed.
4. Spray the inside of the pan with a non-stick cooking spray.
5. Pour the crumb mixture into the pan and press into the sides and bottom evenly, being sure that there are no holes or cracks.

6. Place in the fridge to firm while you prepare the filling.
7. In a sauce pan, cook the beer down.  This step will take approximately 15 - 20 minutes.

8. Once the beer has reduced to half its volume, add the sugar and cook for another 5 minutes.
9. After the sugar and beer have cooked, add the chocolate until it melts, and then remove it from heat.

10. In a bowl, blend the cream cheese and sour cream together.
11. Very slowly, add the beer mixture to the sour cream and cream cheese. 
12. Blend in the three eggs one at a time.
13. Gently pour the filling into the crust, and bake for approximately 1 hour.

Before the bake

After the bake

While baking, your cheesecake will rise to the height of the pan.  It is ready to come out of the oven when the center is firm and jiggles like solid jello!  Your cheesecake will shrink back down as it cools.  Let it cool for about an hour before refrigerating. 

When you are ready to put the cheesecake in the fridge, gently open the spring on the pan, and carefully lift it up and over, being careful not to spill crumbs on the cheesecake!

Grasshopper Cheesecake

Week O' Cheesecakes - Day 2

I really have to wonder how many days it will be before I get sick of eating cheesecake...  But for now I am voting never...

I don't know why I associate Grasshopper (mint chocolate) with St. Patrick's Day or anything Irish, but why fight it, right?  Besides, green makes me think Ireland.  I really wasn't sure about mint flavored cheesecake, but it works in its own little way, especially when combined with a chocolate crust!  Hope you guys enjoy!


Grasshopper Cheesecake 
Yields 8 - 10 servings

Ingredients 

Filling
16 ounces softened cream cheese
16 ounces sour cream
1 tsp Creme de Menthe flavoring (found in the candy/cake aisle of your local craft store)
10 drops of green food coloring
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs

Crust
2 cups chocolate Teddy Grahams crumbs (break them down in a food processor or blender)
4 tbsp melted butter

Topping
Dark Chocolate Melting Chips (found in the candy/cake aisle of your local craft store)


To Prepare the Cheesecake 
1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Wrap the outside of a spring form pan with aluminum foil
3. Mix the Teddy Graham crumbs and butter together in a bowl with a fork until evenly mixed.
4. Spray the inside of the pan with a non-stick cooking spray.
5. Pour the crumb mixture into the pan and press into the sides and bottom evenly, being sure that there are no holes or cracks.

6. Place in the fridge to firm while you prepare the filling.
7. In a new bowl, blend the cream cheese and sour cream together.
8. Add the creme de menthe flavoring and food coloring and blend.  Check the flavor of the batter so far.  If it is not strong enough for your liking, add more creme de menthe flavoring slowly.  Keep in mind that the flavor will become stronger when the cheesecake bakes!
11. Add the sugar and blend.
12. Blend in the three eggs one at a time.
13. Gently pour the filling into the crust, and bake for approximately 1 hour.

Before baking

While baking, your cheesecake will rise to the height of the pan.  It is ready to come out of the oven when the center is firm and jiggles like solid jello!  Your cheesecake will shrink back down as it cools.  Let it cool for about an hour before refrigerating. 

When you are ready to put the cheesecake in the fridge, gently open the spring on the pan, and carefully lift it up and over, being careful not to spill crumbs on the cheesecake!

To Garnish the cheesecake, my sister suggested a chocolate drizzle across the top, but I can never make things that easy...

I decided to add some chocolate trinity knots, which are actually really easy to make!  Find a picture of a trinity knot online, and copy and paste it to a blank word document 8 - 12 times.  Print out the document, and tape a piece of parchment paper over top.  You will be able to see the design through the parchment, like the photo below. 

Melt about a half cup of dark chocolate candy melts in the microwave.  I used a piping bag to trace the design.  You can use a squirt bottle filled with the chocolate or even trace it with a new, clean paint brush dipped in the chocolate!

Place them in the freezer for just a minute and they will be ready to adorn your cheesecake!

Irish Potato Cheesecake

With St. Patrick's Day just 12 short days away, I thought there was no better way to prepare than an entire SEVEN days of Irish themed cheesecakes!

I am currently referring to myself as the Kitchen Pooka.  For those of you not as versed in Irish lore, pookas are fairies that lurk at night and cause mischief!  I have definitely been known to cause some late night kitchen mischief with cream cheese, sour cream, and a spring mold!

Last night I made the first of the cheesecakes, which was based off of Irish Potato Candies.  Irish Potato Candies are generally made from cream cheese, coconut flakes, confectioner's sugar, and a heaping dose of cinnamon.  I wanted to capture as many of these flavors as I could, and this morning's family taste test was positive proof that it was successful, so enjoy!

Irish Potato Cheesecake
Yields 8 - 10 slices

Ingredients

Filling
16 ounces softened cream cheese
16 ounces sour cream
1 can Creme de Coconut (found in the ethnic food aisle of most grocery stores)
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup coconut flakes (pulverized in a food processor or blender)
3 eggs

Crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup cinnamon
4 tbsp melted butter

Topping
1 cup toasted coconut flakes (toasting directions included below)


To Prepare the Cheesecake 
1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Wrap the outside of a spring form pan with aluminum foil
3. Mix the graham cracker crumbs, cinnamon, and butter together in a bowl with a fork until evenly mixed.
4. Spray the inside of the pan with a non-stick cooking spray.
5. Pour the graham cracker mixture into the pan and press into the sides and bottom evenly, being sure that there are no holes or cracks.

6. Place in the fridge to firm while you prepare the filling.
7. In a new bowl, blend the cream cheese and sour cream together.
8. Open the can of creme de coconut.  The coconut and oil will have naturally separated - keep them separated!  The coconut will actually have settled on the top of the can.  This is the part you want to scoop out of the can (leaving the oil behind) and add to the bowl. 

This white cream is what you will be adding to the cheesecake!

The coconut oil settles to the bottom of the can, which makes this step a lot easier!

9. Blend everything again.
10. Add the pulverized coconut.  This will add just enough texture without being overwhelming.  If you do not want to break it down, you can add a cup of regular coconut flakes!

Running the coconut flakes through the blender will make it a smaller texture, but it will still pack a powerful punch of flavor!

11. Add the sugar.

12. Blend in the three eggs one at a time.
13. Gently pour the filling into the crust, and bake for approximately 1 hour.

Before baking

After baking

While baking, your cheesecake will rise to the height of the pan.  It is ready to come out of the oven when the center is firm and jiggles like solid jello!  Your cheesecake will shrink back down as it cools.  Let it cool for about an hour before refrigerating. 

When you are ready to put the cheesecake in the fridge, gently open the spring on the pan, and carefully lift it up and over, being careful not to spill crumbs on the cheesecake!

Just before serving, put 1 cup of coconut flakes in a frying pan over low heat, and toast them until they start to turn golden brown.  Garnish the whole cheesecake or individual slices with the toasted coconut!

Layered Enchilada Bake and a Special Delivery

I had mentioned in last night's post, that Monday night we had dinner at my grandmom's.  We had such a delicious dinner, and I just had to share the recipe with all of you!  It was a recipe she got from a Kraft magazine. 

Layered Enchilada Bake
Yields 8 servings


Ingredients 
1 pound lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups chunky salsa
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained, rinsed
1/4 cup zesty Italian dressing
2 tbsp taco seasoning mix
6 flour tortillas
1 cup sour cream
1 package (8 ounces) Mexican style four cheese

To Prepare the Enchilada Bake
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Brown meat with onions in large skillet on medium-high heat, and then drain off the liquid.
3. Stir in the salsa, beans, dressing, and seasoning mix.
4. Arrange 3 tortillas on the bottom or a 13x9 inch baking dish.
5. Cover the tortillas with layers of half the meat mixture, half of the sour cream, and half of the cheese. Repeat this step with the remaining ingredients and cover with foil.
6. Bake for 30 minutes and then cook uncovered for 10 minutes or until the casserole is heated through and the cheese is melted.

My grandmom served ours with shredded lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, guacamole, and jalapenos for topping our slice of casserole!

The official photo from the Kraft magazine...it looked this great at Grandmom's, too!

Late yesterday afternoon, I also got a special package in the mail from Panera Bread - yes, my book and gift card arrived after mucho waiting and impatience!  I am super excited to treat my family to dinner at Panera over the weekend!  The book I won is beautiful and I cannot wait to start working my way through all of the delicious recipes!  It is Artisan Bread by Eric W. Kastel.  The instructions are well written and the photos are beautiful!  My salivary glands go nuts whenever I thumb through the book!  I am CERTAIN I will have lots of bread pictures for all of you guys in the coming months! 

Just Another Meatless Monday

My grandfather always tells me to K.I.S.S. - Keep it simple, stupid!

The kitchen is the one place where I seem to forget that nice little acronym...

I should probably start by explaining that I come from a meat and potatoes family.  We have always had meat of some sort, a veggie, and a grain or potato at every single meal for most of my life.  There were, of course, rare exceptions.  I also had my attempts at vegetarianism while I was in college.  For me it was never about the cruelty of killing the animal, but more so about the fact that I really do not enjoy eating meat.  Call me crazy if you must, but I hate steak and I hate seafood!  Every time I tried to become a vegetarian I would do well until one of two events struck - Thanksgiving and 4th of July.  I just cannot turn down turkey and juicy burgers!  A one day slip would turn into a landslide of meat no matter how hard I tried to find my way back to the vegetarian path. 

Not having much experience with vegetarian dishes, I have viewed Meatless Mondays as a bit of a challenge.  The only exposure I ever really had to vegetarian meals was in college.  I attended a college that really put forth an effort in making appealing vegetarian meals and even had a vegetarian food line.  For those that were not vegetarian, the food was there to be played with while they waited for their turn in the sandwich line - I think it reminded people of play-dough sometimes!  Another reason I view Meatless Monday as a challenge is partially because I always feel like I need to present a completed "traditional" meal.  I also always feel like cooking should consist of a certain amount of work.  This week my dad and sister proved me otherwise...

While writing my grocery list on Saturdays, I always ask "Is there anything in particular you guys want for dinner this week?"  Normally I get groans and stares and they tell me to do what I want.  This week my dad actually chimed in with a request!  While writing my menu and list I was still pondering over Monday's meatless meal.  When my dad mentioned baked potatoes this thought hit me - there are so many meals that I make throughout the year that don't have meat in them that my family enjoys so much!  I quickly realized that I could swap out what little meat I do use in my Loaded Baked Potatoes and use that as a vegetarian meal.  Last week my sister's suggestion of an Ultimate Garden Salad was pretty straight forward, too. 

I have to sit back and wonder why I sometimes make simple things like that so difficult for myself.  I don't know if I just get caught up in the cooking and planning process, or if it is about enjoying the challenge.  What I have realized though is that sometimes there is an easy, yet delicious way out!  As much as I love being in the kitchen, sometimes I like an easy way out meal, too!  I cannot begin to tell you how much I enjoyed throwing the potatoes in the microwave and just heating up a few things on the stove top - what can I say, sometimes a girl just needs a break! 

For our baked potatoes, we enjoyed toppings that included cheddar cheese, onions, sour cream, broccoli, vegetarian chili, and Bacon Bits.  I should probably point out here that Bacon Bits are not actually meat, but rather, soy!  Sorry if I ruined them for you! 

What did I learn this week?  Despite the fact that I should K.I.S.S., my mind is already revolving around what next Monday's dinner will be!  I think after two weeks of vegetarian gone easy, I might need to pull out a showstopper next week...