Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

Here is an easy dessert that you could make this weekend for your Valentine.  It's easy and decadent.  Serve it with strawberries and raspberries and maybe some hot fudge sauce.  It's a great recipe find that turns out beautifully. Sweets for your sweet!

Dark Chocolate Cheesecake
Adapted from Bon Appetit, Oct. 2006
About 12 servings

Crust:
24 chocolate wafer cookies (from a 9 oz pkg)-- I use-*Mi-Del*
1 T sugar
¼ cup butter, melted

Filling:
1 9.7oz Scharffen Berger 70% Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped
4 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, room temperature
1 ¼ cups+2 T sugar
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, good quality
4 large eggs

Whipped cream and chocolate curls for topping
Strawberries and raspberries for garnish


Preheat oven to 350 F.  Butter a 9” springform pan with 3” high sides.

Blend cookies a food processor until finely ground.  Add sugar and melted butter until well-blended. Press evenly into the bottom of the springform pan.  Bake just until set, about 5 minutes.  Cool while you make the filling.  Leave the oven at 350 F.

Melt chopped chocolate over a double boiler.  Let cool a bit until lukewarm, but still pourable.  Blend cream cheese, sugar, and cocoa powder in food processor.  Add eggs one at a time.  Fold in lukewarm chocolate and then pour the filling over the cooled crust; smooth top.

Bake until center is set and appears dry, about an hour.  Let cool 5 minutes.  Run knife around edge to loosen.  Cover and chill overnight. 

To serve, transfer to a platter and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours.  Top with whipped cream and chocolate curls to serve.

Buttermilk Pumpkin Muffins

A November weekend is the perfect time to hit the greenmarket and bake some pumpkin muffins. Here is a moist and gooey recipe featuring buttermilk and maple syrup. If you want to keep it healthy, eat them as is or get crazy and top with a batch of cream cheese frosting for a special treat.

**Time to order your turkey from the greenmarket, if you haven't already done it!** Once you go greenmarket, you won't ever go back to those yellowish frozen blobs. Don't wait! If you aren't sure how, contact me and I will hook you up with the turkey people!

Buttermilk Pumpkin Muffins
makes a fat baker's dozen

1 ½ c ww pastry flour
¼ c turbinado sugar
2 t baking powder
½ t baking soda
½ t sea salt
½ t allspice
½ t cinnamon

2 eggs (Egg-Replacer works)
1 ½ cups pumpkin puree (peeled, steamed, pureed or canned--as usual, fresh is best)
2 t vanilla extract
¾ c buttermilk
2/3 cup maple syrup (grade B is best for baking, but any of the real stuff will do)

Oil 12 muffin cups or line with paper muffin cups.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Combine flour, turbinado sugar, baking powder, and baking soda in large mixing bowl.

In a smaller bowl, whisk together salt, cinnamon, allspice, eggs, pumpkin, vanilla, buttermilk, and maple syrup. Whisk until uniform.

Make a well and scrape into dry mix. Gently fold together until just blended. Spoon mixture into muffin cups. Sprinkle the tops with turbinado sugar. If you are planning to frost them, skip this step.

Bake 20-25 minutes, or until springy in the center. Let cool.




Frost lightly with cream cheese frosting.


Cream Cheese Frosting

1 stick unsalted butter, softened
8 oz cream cheese, softened
2 t vanilla extract
2-3 cups powdered sugar

Cream butter and cream cheese with electric mixer and add vanilla.
Add powdered sugar until you reach the desired sweetness/consistency.

**If they are really messy, chill for awhile to firm up frosting.