Last Friday, I hosted a family gathering at our house to celebrate my nephew getting married so there were lots of relatives in town for the occasion. I planned a menu of Cornish game hens (that I posted here) and it was a potluck, buffet-style dinner. I was very happy that the children even enjoyed it which can sometimes be a challenge. I've learned from hosting meals that if the children are happy, the parents are even happier.
For whatever reason, I had a hard time deciding what to serve for dessert and kept going back and forth with ideas. I ended up deciding on chocolate cheesecake, but then I thought the kids might not like it so I bought some ice cream, just in case. When it came time for dessert, I offered the kids chocolate cheesecake and/or Cookies and Cream ice cream. They wanted both! Well, I scored on that one.
I wasn't planning on serving cheesecake with ice cream but when the adults saw the kids walking away with their plates of dessert, everyone else wanted the same. These kids have good taste.
So, that ended up being our dessert for the evening; Chocolate Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache and Raspberries plus Cookies and Cream ice cream. Once again, I used Ina Garten's recipe but I added raspberries on top and doubled the amount of ganache. I will definitely repeat that when I make this recipe again because the visual effect is so impressive, as you can see, plus it tasted amazing. My cooking creativity got the best of me with this one.
The recipe also says it serves 12-15 but we had 17 people and ended up with lots leftover. Usually, people want very small portions and will say something like, "I'll take just a sliver, please". Being that cheesecake is so dense, you can probably get away with this recipe serving probably 20 people.
If you think it looks fattening, well, it is. But that was O.K. because the next day, my sister and I had planned a weekend getaway with our husbands and did lots of exploring - and burning calories - at the quaint town of Port Townsend. It's a popular Seattle-area destination, known for it's Victorian houses (over 300 in the town with a population of less than 10,000.) It's a beautiful spot known for it's Wooden Boat Festival in the summer.
We stayed in a historic hotel right on the main downtown street called the Palace Hotel. It had several huge staircases, lots of stain glass and sitting rooms, very Victorian and cozy.
We took a driving tour of the Victorian homes and were blown away with what we saw. So many were in perfect, beautiful condition and there were even deer wandering around many yards, not the least bit scared of us. Is this town for real? Honestly, it was all so gorgeous.
This house has a mailbox that matches the house.
This church bell was ringing and everyone was leaving the Sunday service so I had to get a shot of this picture perfect scene.
We also spent time at Fort Worden that is a 400+ acre state park with a lighthouse and lots of hiking trails and beach walking opportunities. This is where they filmed the movie An Officer and a Gentleman with Richard Gere and Debra Winger - a movie that I loved. Our family actually had a family reunion here in 1989 since they rent out many of the old barracks now. There is also lots of camping sites, a performing arts complex, a restaurant and brew pub. It's a wonderful community spot for the town of Port Townsend now. Back in the day, it was an active army base from 1902 to 1953. There is history all over the property and very fun to explore.
How would you like to eat lunch in the brig?
This is where we had lunch at Fort Worden that was the original brig now called Taps at the Guardhouse. The food here was wonderful and I'm sure it wasn't your usual jail food. Our weekend getaway to Port Townsend was a relaxing way to end a weeklong of family festivities and we were all so glad that we planned this outing. There is nothing better than lots of fresh outdoor air and natural beauty, except maybe my Chocolate Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache and Raspberries.
Serves 12-15 servings
For the crust:
1-1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)
5 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 tsp. grd. cinnamon
For the filling:
5 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 Tbsp. instant espresso coffee
1-3/4 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 pint fresh raspberries
For the ganache:
1/2 pound semi-sweet chocolate
1/2 cup heavy cream
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. To make the crust: Place the graham crackers crumbs, melted butter and cinnamon in a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse until combined. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan. With your hands, press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 12 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
3. Meanwhile, chop the bittersweet chocolate and place it in a neat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Add the espresso and stir until just melted. Set aside until cooled to room temperature.
4. Cream the cream cheese, sugar, cornstarch, vanilla and almond extracts and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
5. Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium and add the eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well. Scrape down the bowl and beater, as necessary. With the mixer on low, add the sour cream and the cooled chocolate mixture.
6. Mix thoroughly and pour into the cooled crust.
7. Bake for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and allow the cake to sit in the oven with the door opened wide for 1-1/2 hours. Take the cake out of the oven and allow it to sit at room temperature, until completely cooled.
8. For the ganache: Finely chop the semisweet chocolate and place it in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Add the cream and stir until just melted. Set aside until cooled to room temperature.
9. Remove the cake from the springform pan by carefully running a hot knife around the outside of the cake. Leave the cake on the bottom of the springform pan for serving.
10. Spread ganache over top of cheesecake and place raspberries around top of cake. Drizzle the rest of the ganache over the top of the raspberries and drip it down the sides of cake.
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