Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

Hubby loves chocolate.  Hubby loves cheesecake.  I love Hubby.  Happy Birthday Hubby.

This is a fantastic chocolate cheesecake - not only does it taste A-MA-ZING, it bakes evenly without cracks and you don't have to fuss with a water bath.  Plan ahead and prepare this cheesecake at least a day before you want to serve it.  After baking, it will need several hours to rest and cool before chilling overnight in the refrigerator.  We think it gets better with age, so make it a few days in advance if you wish.

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• food processor https://amzn.to/2YpubmU

• Oreo cookies https://amzn.to/2VgVYUJ

• leakproof springform pan https://amzn.to/2Hey0FE

• half sheet pan https://amzn.to/2VYkPkt

• beaterblade attachment for stand mixer https://amzn.to/2Hj4G12

• professional stand mixer https://amzn.to/2vWYzZw

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Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

makes one 9-inch cheesecake (makes 12 servings)

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Crust:

• 9 ounces cream filled chocolate cookies (like Oreos), ground in food processor

• 4 ounces unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

• 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature

• 4 large eggs

• 1 cup sour cream, room temperature

• 1 1/2 cups sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 8 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, melted

Topping:

• 4 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate

• 4 ounces heavy cream

• Garnish: blanched and chopped pistachios (optional)

Directions

To make the crust:

1. Preheat oven to 325F.

2. In a food processor, process cream-filled cookies to fine crumbs (cream filling and all).

3. Add melted butter and combine; press mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.

4. Place springform on a half sheet pan and bake crust for 10 minutes.

To make the filling:

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer, using the BeaterBlade attachment (or the flat paddle), beat together on low speed the room temperature cream cheese, sugar, and salt; scraping sides of bowl if needed.

2. When mixture is silky smooth, add eggs, one at a time; scraping sides of bowl if needed. Finally, add the room temperature sour cream, followed by the melted chocolate; mix on low until combined; scraping the bowl if needed.

3. Pour mixture into springform pan and return to the oven for 1 hour.

4. Make ganache and blanch optional pistachios while cheesecake is baking (directions below).

5. After the cheesecake has baked for an hour, turn off the oven and do not open the door for another hour, then open the door slightly for one more hour (that's a total of 3 hours so far).

6. Finally remove cheesecake from oven and rest on counter until completely cool.

7. Top with cooled ganache and optional pistachios, cover with plastic or place in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight preferred before releasing the springform sides from the base. For neat slices, heat and dry knife blade between cuts.

To make ganache topping:

1. While the cheesecake is baking, prepare ganache by bringing cream to a boil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan.

2. As soon as the cream boils, remove from heat and stir in chocolate; stir to combine.

3. Pour ganache into a bowl; cover with a tea towel and allow it to rest until the cheesecake has cooled completely (several hours).

To blanch pistachios:

1. Put shelled pistachios in boiling water; remove from heat and wait 1 minute.

2. Drain and rub with a clean kitchen towel to remove the skins. You can use the pistachios right away, or toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat until they're fragrant (just a minute or two).

3. Cool and chop.

adapted recipe form Martha Stewart

(affiliate links)

Appeltaart - Dutch Apple Pie

My friend Anja is from the Netherlands - she's a wonderful cook, and in our circle of friends she's probably best known for her amazing Dutch apple pie called Appeltaart.  It's extremely delicious and is quickly gobbled up at every function where it makes an appearance.  I'm thrilled Anja agreed to let me and my camera into her kitchen so I could share it with you today.  

Anja

Okay, so forget everything you know about American apple pie because the only thing it has in common with it's Dutch cousin is apples. 

Our American version has a filling that is juicy, the crust is made with an icy cold rolled pastry dough, and the assembled pie is baked in, and served from, a shallow pie plate.  On the other hand, the filling of this Dutch version is not juicy, the crust is made with a room temperature pressed pastry dough, and it's assembled and baked in a deep springform pan before being unmolded and sliced. 

The flavor profile of the American pie relies heavily on butter, sugar, and cinnamon, while the flavor profile of the Dutch pie is much more complex as it relies more on almonds, raisins, rum, and warm mix of intoxicating spices. 

NOTE:  the homemade almond paste needs to be prepared a week in advance and the raisins should soak in spiced rum overnight so plan accordingly.  I hope you'll give it a try - I promise you won't be disappointed. Let's walk you through the process - the full recipe can be found at the end of this post.

Ready?  Here we go.

Start by peeling apples.  Anja's mother was visiting from the Netherlands, so we got her in on the action.  I love how she peeled her apples with a knife - I wonder how many apples her hands have peeled over the years. 

Anja cuts her apples over a bowl rather than using a cutting board.

The apples are cut into 1/4-inch slices.  Add the yummy spices and rum soaked raisins.  Mix together gently and set aside.

This is what the raisins soaked overnight in - spiced rum.

Now we make the crust.  All the dry ingredients are weighed in the bowl of a food processor.

The softened butter is incorporated.

Lastly, the water is added and the mixture is processed until it forms into a ball of dough.

The dough is divided; the big portion lines the bottom and sides of the springform pan and the small portion will be used to make a lattice top.  Note how Anja lined the base of her springform pan with parchment.  You can skip this step if you don't plan to remove the pie from the base of the pan before serving.

The larger ball of pastry dough is easily pressed into the pan.

A beaten egg yolk is brushed over the bottom crust and then cornstarch is sprinkled on top of the yolk.

Half of the apple mixture is poured into the pan.

Homemade almond paste is dotted over the apples before adding the remaining apple mixture.

Now we take pieces of the small ball of pastry dough and roll them into snakes about 1/2-inch in diameter.

Place them on top of the pie in a lattice pattern and press to flatten slightly.

We're almost done.

Wrap the base of the pan in foil to catch any leaks that might occur and loosely tent the to top of the pie with foil.

Bake in a 375F oven for 45 minutes, remove foil tent and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.

Cool completely before unmolding.  Prepare to feast!

Now get some apples and make Appeltaart!

Items used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• my favorite apple peeler https://amzn.to/2HgSa1V

• leakproof springform pan https://amzn.to/2PZI7Ry

• food processor https://amzn.to/2HeCX1c

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Appeltaart (Dutch Apple Pie)

makes one 9-inch springform pan - serves 12

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Almond Paste: 

(use about 1/3 of this paste in the pie - the rest can be frozen for use later)

• 250g whole almonds

• 250g powdered sugar

• 1 egg, beaten

Soaked raisins:

• 120g raisins (Anja prefers golden raisins, but regular raisins are okay)

• hot water

• 2 tablespoons spiced rum (optional)

Filling:

• 900g peeled and thinly sliced baking apples, 6-8 medium (Anja prefers Galas - avoid overly juicy varieties)

• 4 teaspoons granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• juice of 1/2 lemon (or lime)

Pastry:

• 360g flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 pound butter, room temperature

• 180g light brown sugar

• pinch of salt

• pinch of white pepper (black is okay too)

• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1-2 tablespoons water

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 tablespoon corn starch

Directions

To make the almond paste:

1. Blanch almonds by soaking them in hot water for a few minutes, remove from hot water and cover with ice to cool, slip brown skins off.

2. Place blanched almonds on a sheet tray and put into a 350F oven to dry completely and toast slightly until they smell fragrant.

3. Cool completely and grind in a food processor.

4. Combine ground almonds, powdered sugar, and beaten egg. Mixture should be somewhat sticky.

5. Store the paste in the fridge for at least a week for the flavor to develop.

To prepare the raisins:

1. Plump raisins in hot water, drain water, add spiced rum and soak overnight.

To make the filling:

1. Combine apples, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice.

2. Set aside while preparing pastry.

To make the pastry:

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, baking powder, butter, brown sugar, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cardamom, and cinnamon; add 1-2 tablespoons of water and process until the dough forms into a ball.

2. Divide the pastry into 2 unequal portions (the larger portion should be approximately 2/3 of the dough; the smaller 1/3).

To assemble and bake the Appeltaart:

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Prepare a 9-inch springform pan with non-stick cooking spray.

3. Press large ball of pastry dough into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan.

4. Brush the bottom pastry with beaten egg yolk and sprinkle with cornstarch.

5. Pour 1/2 the apples into the prepared pastry.

6. Add rum-soaked raisins (including any remaining rum); crumble about 1/3 of the homemade almond paste over the apples; add the remaining apples.

7. Decorate top of appeltaart with remaining pastry by rolling into a snake shape and pressing into a lattice pattern.

8. Brush lattice with beaten egg white.

9. Wrap bottom of springform with foil to prevent leaking juices from dripping in your oven.

10. Loosely tent top with foil.

11. Bake in a 375F oven for 45 minutes, uncover and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes.

12. Cool completely before unmolding.