In My Kitchen....

I LOVE to cook and bake, so it's only fitting that I have a page about it. Many great recipes and pictures to come... :)

Here are a few to whet your pallet :)

 This is an Eggnog Cheesecake with Caramelized Pecans

 Yeah, stellar :)

This lovely thing is a Kahlua Coffee Cocoa Cheesecake

Handmade chocolate spears

It was pretty such to die for :)

NOW YOU TRY!

Kahlua Cocoa Coffee Cheesecake        325ºF         40-50 minutes   

Crust
1 ½ cup Oreo Cookies, crushed
6 oz bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
½ cup brown sugar
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
8 TBSP melted butter

– Combine all ingredients in a food processor, then press into spring form pan, it will cover the sides of pan as well as the bottom. Prepare the spring form pan with crust, then wrap sides and bottom in wide foil.

Ganache
¾ cup heavy cream
10 oz bittersweet chocolate
1/8 cup Kahlua

– Warm cream, melt chocolate in a double boiler, then combine all ingredients together. Let it cool a bit. Pour a thin layer of ganache on bottom of crust, reserving the rest for topping the finished cheesecake.

Cheesecake
24 oz cream cheese, room temp
1 ½ cup sugar
3 eggs
5 TBSP flour
¼ tsp instant espresso graduals
4 TBSP Kahlua
2 TBSP cocoa powder

– Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth and slightly fluffy. Add in eggs 1 at a time. Sift flour and cocoa powder into cream cheese mixture. Combine Kahlua and instant espresso powder, dissolving the crystals; add to cream cheese mixture and mix until just combined. Pour cheesecake batter into pan and bake in a water bath. DON'T KNOW WHAT A WATER BATH IS? Click here. But don't forget to wrap it in foil!

Mousse
1 ½ cup heavy cream
3 egg yolks
2 ¼ TBSP sugar
¾ tsp Kahlua
5 ¼ oz bittersweet chocolate

– Heat ½ cup of the cream. Pour hot cream over chocolate to melt it; stir, set aside. Whisk yolks and sugar until pale yellow. Stir in Kahlua. Gradually pour chocolate mixture into the yolk mixture to temper it. Whip remaining cream to stiff peaks and fold into chocolate mixture. Allow cheesecake to cool completely and then top with mousse. Allow mousse to set for 1hr prior to topping with last of ganache.






ENJOY! LET ME KNOW HOW IT TURNS OUT!