Brie En Croute

I've made this appetizer a few times now and everyone just raves about it. It’s delish! The brown sugar and walnus add an incredible sweetness and crunch to the brie. And it’s super easy to make. In fact, I think I’ll make it for my family’s Christmas gathering. Mmmm…

The recipe comes from Paula Deen and the Food Network.

And, just so you sound really smart, en croute means “in a crust”.

Ingredients
* 1 sheet frozen puff pastry (I prefer Pepperidge Farm)
* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
* 1/2 cup walnuts
* 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 (8-ounce) wheel Brie
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 1 egg, beaten

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Defrost puff pastry for approximately 15 to 20 minutes and unfold. Press seams together to strengthen and lightly roll pastry; about 1″ width and length.

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Saute the walnuts in the butter until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes. Add the cinnamon and stir until walnuts are coated well; remove from heat.

Lay the puff pastry out on a flat surface. Place the brie in the center of the pastry. Place the walnut mixture on top of the Brie and sprinkle the brown sugar over the mixture. Gather up the edges of the brie, pressing around the brie and gather at the top. Gently squeeze together the excess dough and fold down, almost like wrapping a present. (If you have kitchen twine you can tie the pastry together,like the top of a sack.)

Brush the beaten egg over top and side of Brie. Place Brie on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes until pastry is golden brown.

Serve with crackers.

Brownie Sundae Cheesecake

I made this recipe from Hershey’s Kitchens for a family celebration. It’s a longer process than most cheesecakes as you first bake the brownies that are then poked into the creamy cheesecake before it is baked. But Oh My Gosh! YUMMY! There was not a bite of this left.

One thing I noticed about this cheesecake in comparison to other cheesecakes I’ve made… This one was super creamy and very springy. I’m not sure how else to describe the texture; you’ll have to make it yourself to understand what I mean.

Directions:
1) Make your favorite brownie recipe – or use the one below.

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 8 or 9-inch square baking pan. Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Add eggs; beat well with spoon. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Spread batter in prepared pan.

Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

Cut 1 cup of 3/4 inch pieces. (Ah! Snacking brownies left over!)

2) Heat oven to 350°F. Prepare CHOCOLATE CRUMB CRUST, below.

Combine 1-1/2 cups (about 45 wafers) vanilla wafer crumbs, 6 tablespoons powdered sugar, 6 tablespoons HERSHEY’S Cocoa and 6 tablespoons butter or margarine (melted). Press crumb mixture onto bottom and 1/2 to 1 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 8 minutes; cool slightly.

Ingredients for the cheesecake:
4 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs
1/4 cup REESE’S Chocolate Peanut Butter Topping (note: I could not find the chocolate peanut butter topping. I melted 1/4c fondue chocolate- both Hershey’s and Baker’s make this- with 2T peanut butter in the microwave for 30 seconds or so)

3) Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Gradually add eggs, beating well after each addition. Pour batter into prepared crust.

4) Sprinkle brownie pieces over cheesecake surface; push pieces into batter. Drop topping by teaspoonfuls onto surface of cheesecake. With knife or metal spatula, swirl gently through batter for marbled effect. Bake 50 to 55 minutes or until almost set. Remove from oven to wire rack. With knife, loosen cake from side of pan; cool.*

* I prefer to cool my cheesecake completely and refrigerate it before removing the springform pan. This is, of course, personal preference. I find it is easier to remove the pan after the cheesecake is chilled.

Watch my video about cooking your cheesecake in a waterbath to keep it from cracking.

Brownie Cheesecake Like Disney Makes

Not quite a year ago I was invited on a culinary journey at Walt Disney World . When I left the home of the magical mouse I had a new appreciation for theme park dining- and a few new cookbooks.

I made this brownie cheesecake as part of a "thank you" dinner for my brother and brother-in-law. We were stranded in St. Louis during the Blizzaster earlier this month and they cleared our driveway of snow and ice- by hand- so we wouldn't have to do it at midnight when we got home.

Since brownies and cheesecake are two desserts that regularly show up at family dinners the combination of the two was divine! This recipe is attributed to Disney's Boardwalk Bakery and was taken from the book Delicious Disney Desserts.

The addition of the cornstarch makes the cheesecake a bit more "firm" than a traditional cheesecake, and I substituted plain fat free yogurt for the heavy cream.

The recipe says it serves 12, but those are mighty big pieces! This is a perfect recipe for making "bite size" desserts- great for gatherings and parties.

Brownies
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
5 eggs
2 sticks of butter, melted
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13 x 9 x 2" baking pan. Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Beat flour mixture and eggs on low speed using an electric mixer, scraping bowl occasionally and mixing until smooth. Slowly add melted butter and beat until just combined: do not over mix. Fold in chocolate chips.

Transfer batter to prepared baking dish. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Cheesecake
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
4 8-ounce boxes of cream cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 tablespoons sour cream

Preheat oven to 325°. Cream sugar, cornstarch, and cream cheese in a large bowl using an electric mixer. Add lemon juice and vanilla extract, mixing thoroughly. Add eggs one at a time, scraping the bowl with each addition. Fold in heavy cream and sour cream. Spread batter on top of already baked brownies. Bake until cheesecake is lightly browned and firm, about 55 - 60 minutes. Cool completely and refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

Irish Cream Cheesecake

This Irish Cream Cheesecake has become one of my most requested desserts for family gatherings. It is so unbelievably creamy... The mixture of the cream cheese and the Irish Cream is so amazingly smooth...

I adapted this recipe from one found at cooks.com.

Ingredients

Crust

1 c graham cracker crumbs

6 T melted butter

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix crumbs and butter together and press into 9" springform pan. (if crumbs are too dry add a bit more melted butter) Bake about 20 minutes and cool on wire rack.

If you prefer a chocolate crust use chocolate wafers or chocolate grahams.

Filling

4 pkgs. (8 oz. each) cream cheese, room temperature
4 eggs, at room temperature
3/4 c. sugar
3/4 c. Irish Cream

Blend cheese and sugar together until smooth. Mix in 1 egg and Irish Cream. Add remaining eggs, one at a time. Pour into cooled crust.

Bake at 325°F for 45 minutes. Cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or up to 2 days. Top with whipped cream and chocolate curls.

Tip: To keep cheesecake from cracking use a waterbath:

Cheddar Ale Soup

Because my family lives so close together we gather annually for Christmas. The kids open gifts from their cousins and grandparents and we adults plan a meal that usually centers around soups for the main dish.

This year I found a recipe in the Williams Sonoma catalog that I had to try. They were doing an "English Christmas" theme and the Cheddar Ale Soup sounded like just the thing to follow an afternoon of sledding.

The soup was smooth and rich and pairs wonderfully with fresh baked Irish Brown Bread.

Ingredients

4 thick cut bacon slices, cut into 3 " strips

2 Tbs. unsalted butter (If you omit the bacon, use 4T butter)
1 yellow onion, finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
2 carrots, peeled and finely diced

3 cloves minced garlic
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 c pale ale
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce

2 c milk

2 c chicken broth
1 1/4 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste

In a large, heavy soup pot or Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium high heat, approx. 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels; discard all but 2 T of bacon fat.

Reduce heat to medium add and melt the butter. Add the onion, celery and carrots and cook, covered, until soft- about 20 minutes. Add garlic, cook 1 minute.

Stir in the flour and cook for 3 or 4 minutes.

Add ale, stir constantly 3-4 minutes.

Add Worcestershire, milk and broth; bring to a simmer over medium high heat. Reduce heat to medium low; simmer 10-12 , minutes.

Puree with an immersion blender.

Set pot over medium low heat. Add cheese by handfuls, stirring constantly; do not boil. Season with salt and pepper.

Garnish with crumbled bacon. Serves 4 to 6.

Chocolate Cheesecake

This is an incredibly rich dessert- a little bit goes a long, long way. It's sooo yummy, though, and can be made in advance (2-3 days in the refrigerator or 3 weeks in the freezer- don't forget to defrost before serving.)

I got this recipe in a promotional mailing years ago from a company called "Great American Home Baking". I can't find an online presence for them.

Chocolate lovers rejoice! PS- this will blow your diet out of the water.

Crust
2 c chocolate wafer crumbs
5 T melted butter

Filling
3 - 8oz pkgs cream cheese, room temperature
1 c granulated sugar
5 large eggs
2 oz semi sweet chocolate, melted

Frosting
6 oz semi sweet chocolate, melted
1/2 c sour cream

To prepare crust: in a medium bowl mix together chocolate crumbs and melted butter until well blended. Press into a 9" springform pan. (I line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper).

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

In a large bowl beat together cream cheese, sugar and eggs at medium speed until smooth. Spoon half into crust.

Stir chocolate into remaining cream cheese mixture until well blended. Drizzle over batter in pan to make swirls.

Bake for 50 minutes. Cool completely then chill, in pan covered in plastic wrap, for 2 hours.

After chilled carefully remove pan. (Cover now to freeze; thaw before frosting.)

To prepare frosting mix chocolate and sour cream in a small bowl. Spread over cheesecake and refrigerate until frosting is set. This frosting is easy to pipe so you can "pretty it up" if you want to.

Snickers Cheesecake

I've only made this a few times. I like to call it my $30 cheesecake because that’s about how much it costs to make. But it is sooooo worth it!

Creamy cheesecake with Snickers bar throughout and covering the top. Decadence at it's finest!




The recipe I use is from epicurean.com. Don’t let it intimidate you. The most time consuming thing is cutting the Snickers® into little pieces!
Ingredients:
Crust:
1-1/2 cup chocolate wafer crumbs
1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling:
1-1/2 lbs. cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla
1 cup heavy cream
1-1/2 cups small pieces of snack-sized SNICKERS® Bars

Topping:
4-1/2 cups small pieces of snack-sized SNICKERS® Bars

Fudge Sauce:
2 oz. unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup boiling water
2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp light corn syrup

Garnish:
Whipped Cream
Directions:
1. To make crust, combine wafer crumbs and butter.

2. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-1/2 inch springform pan. Set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

4. To make filling, with an electric mixer set on medium speed, combine cream cheese and sugar, beating until smooth.

5. Add eggs, one at a time.

6. Add vanilla and heavy cream. Beat at medium speed for 5 minutes.

7. Fold in SNICKERS® Bar pieces.

8. Pour filling into crust and bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until cheesecake is almost set in center.

9. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 1 to 2 hours.

10. Top cooled cheesecake with SNICKERS® Bar pieces and chill for 4 to 6 hours.

11. To make fudge sauce, combine chocolate and butter in a heavy saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring gently, until mixture has melted.

12. Stir in boiling water, sugar, and light corn syrup, mixing until smooth.

13. Increase heat to medium and stir until mixture starts to boil.

14. Reduce heat and let simmer for 5 minutes without stirring.

15. Remove from heat and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Drizzle over chilled cheesecake just before serving.

16. Garnish with whipped cream. (we don't do this)
Yield: One 9-1/2 inch cheesecake.

And just a little FYI: that restaurant that serves cheesecakes so much that it's part of their name... they sell one like this for $42.95. I'm just sayin'.

Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Bars

OK, I just made these today. But they are so good that I by-passed the other very yummy recipes because I had to share it.

Caramel Pecan Cheesecake Bars
except I made mine without the pecans

Another recipe from Kraft. And, just so you know, there is nothing good for you about this recipe- except the way you feel after the first delectable bite.

Yep... I actually made them look this good! Amazing, I know!

Prep Time: 15 min
Total Time: 5 hr
Makes: 32 servings
1 cup PLANTERS Pecan Pieces, divided
1-1/2 cups crushed NILLA Wafers (about 50 wafers)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
4 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup sugar 1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
3 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. vanilla
4 eggs
24 KRAFT Caramels
1 Tbsp. water
3 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate

PREHEAT oven to 325°F. Line 13x9-inch baking pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides of pan. Remove 1/2 cup of the pecans; set aside. Finely chop remaining pecans. Mix wafer crumbs, chopped pecans and butter. Press firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.

BEAT cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Add sour cream, flour and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Pour over crust.

BAKE 45 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Place caramels in microwaveable bowl. Add water. Microwave on HIGH 1 min. or until caramels are completely melted when stirred. Pour over cheesecake; top with the reserved pecans. Melt chocolate as directed on package; drizzle over cheesecake. Refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight. Use foil handles to remove cheesecake from pan before cutting into pieces to serve. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

**Notes:

• I left out the pecans. It is fine without them.
• Melt the caramels until they are very runny, otherwise they will cool before they spread.
• Use a VERY sharp knife to cut the bars, point down, in a poking motion. If you try to cut like a regular cake the caramel will pull. I got some nekkid pieces before I learned that.
• Keep a pair of kitchen shears near by to cut the very stubborn caramel.
• I took a suggestion from the comments and used caramel ice cream topping. I used a full jar. It was easier!
  

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

I know I have been inundating you with lots of pumpkin recipes lately. I can't help it! It's fall and we really like pumpkin!

So I am bringing you another!

Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake

The recipe is from Kraft. So is the photo as the last one I made was kind of shiny and didn't photograph well. To see one that I made-along with some other goodies- click here.

Yes, I make this quite a bit. Yes, it's that good. Don't let it scare you! It's quite easy! I promise!

25 NABISCO Ginger Snaps, finely crushed (about 1-1/2 cups)
1/2 cup finely chopped PLANTERS Pecans
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted
4 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 cup sugar, divided
1 tsp. vanilla
4 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
Dash ground cloves



PREHEAT oven to 325°F. Mix ginger snap crumbs, pecans and butter; press firmly onto bottom and 1 inch up side of 9-inch springform pan.
BEAT cream cheese, 3/4 cup of the sugar and the vanilla with electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed after each addition just until blended. Remove 1-1/2 cups of the batter; place in small bowl. Stir remaining 1/4 cup sugar, the pumpkin and spices into remaining batter. Spoon half of the pumpkin batter into crust; top with spoonfuls of half of the reserved plain batter. Repeat layers. Cut through batters with knife several times for marble effect.
BAKE 55 min. or until center is almost set. Cool completely. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Cut into 16 slices. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerator.