Do you want to create a fool-proof, well-loved dessert recipe that always solicits rave reviews from all who taste a bite? Then this recipe is for you.
Wild Blueberry Truffle Cheesecake
This is that stand-by recipe that comes first to my mind when I am asked to bring a dessert to a dinner party. I can be assured that it will be well-received and enjoyed.
I have been making this recipe for the past 15 years, varying the flavor of raspberry and blueberry, and every single time it makes an appearance with a group of friends or relatives, people go on and on about how wonderful it is. Often times people state this is the best cheesecake they ever tried. The Hubs, who is not a fan of cheesecake, loves this one!
Depending upon the season, you can garnish with fresh raspberries or fresh cranberries and a sprig of rosemary or mint and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.
1 1/2 cups chocolate sandwhich cookies (about 22 cookies), crushed
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Filling:
4 - 8-ounce packages cream cheese
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup sour cream (if you are in a pinch or want to be a little healthier, you can substitute Greek yogurt here, as I often do)
2 teaspoons almond extract (I have to use the extract version because of my daughter's allergies, but by all means use the real thing if you'd like!)
1/3 cup Wildtree Wildly Blueberry Jamor seedless raspberry jam which is a delicious substitution and one I use often
6 ounces chocolate chips (semi-sweet are best but dark or milk chocolates also work)
Ganache Topping:
6 ounces chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark chocolate)
1/4 cup whipping cream
Instructions:
The crust, the cheesecake filling and the chocolate truffle filling.
For Crust: Crush cookies in either a food processor, blender or in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin. Mix with melted butter and press into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
The crust ingredients
For Cheesecake Filling: Combine 3 packages (reserve one package for next step) of cream cheese with the sugar and mix at medium speed until well-blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing after each addition. Add sour cream and almond extract. Mix well and then pour over crust.
Cheesecake ingredients
Pour the filling on top of the cookie crust.
The truffle filling ingredients - cream cheese, chocolate and jam
Melt the first 6 ounces of chocolate chips and combine with remaining package of cream cheese. Add jam and mix well. Drop by rounded tablespoon over plain batter.
Spooning the chocolate truffle filling into the cheesecake
Bake at 325 degrees F for one hour and 20 minutes, checking periodically towards the end of the baking to ensure it is not overbaking. Let cool and remove from pan.
Ganache ingredients - just cream and chocolate!
For Ganache Topping: Melt remaining 6 ounces of chocolate chips with whipping cream over low heat, stirring until smooth. Spread over cooled cheesecake and let some drizzle over the sides of cake.
The Most Perfect Dessert Note: Typically, I do not leave the cheesecake in the form while spreading the ganache, but this cheesecake was headed for a one-hour drive, so I wanted it to travel well.
I think this recipe is the perfect little "fix" when you need a little comfort in the form of something decadent yet easy to prepare.
I think Pots de Creme are the ultimate comfort food - perfect for the events of the past few weeks around here. I'm not going to pretend that we are not still grieving the death of my friend, Lynn. The loss feels like the elephant in the room that is so present and just clamoring to come out with every word I type on this blog. It could be easy to just push forward, fast-paced, ever onward but in the center of all the movement is this dwelling place where my thoughts keep returning to her - and the wake of all those she leaves behind - her girls, husband, parents, siblings and friends. She is so dearly missed.
Researchers seem unable to decide if the benefits of comfort food are psychological or physiological but comfort foods often promote feelings of serenity and well being. Certain foods, like this recipe for Pots de Creme, has a way of comforting the soul.
This recipe is so simple that it can be made with 5 kitchen staples.
I'll never forget the first time I had Pots de Creme. I was at an adult "tea party" and our hostess had made each chocolate pot in a tea cup. When the assortment of mish-mashed tea cups were presented it was such a site to behold. When it was first unveiled I thought we were about to sample a gourmet chocolate pudding and this was the furthest thing from that! I quickly begged for the recipe after the first bite. She laughed embarrasingly about how simple it was to throw together. The chocolate creme' was heavenly - so rich and divine!
Once I discovered the ease of making this recipe, it became a dessert staple. Miss Bella mastered the recipe at age 10 and can whip it out at a moment's notice, satisfying the slightest chocolate craving.
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup of very hot strong coffee (I have also used espresso powder with boiling water here)
2 teaspoons of vanilla, almond extract or even orange flavored extract
1 dash of salt
Instructions:
1. Place the chocolate chips into your blender with the cracked eggs, vanilla and salt. Pulse until the chocolate chips are chopped.
2. While the blender is on, gently pour the hot coffee in the top of the blender in a steady stream and blend until it is smooth.
3. Pour the chocolate mixture into the serving cups, jars, glasses or tea cups. Refrigerate for three hours until firm.
Optional: Serve topped with 1 cup heavy cream whipped with 2 tablespoons of sugar and top with a little fresh rosemary for a great display. I also like to serve with a sugar cookie on the side.
This recipe couldn't be easier with the assistance of a blender or food processor.
Keep in mind when distributing amongst serving bowls that this is a rich dessert.
I can't wait for you to try these easy Pots de Creme
After over six months of writing this blog, it's about time for me to write my "About Me" page and to answer a bit about who I am and why I write this blog.
Why I write this blog?
What started out as a place to write creatively, record my recipes and share snippets of life turned into this space that I expose the world to who I am, what I think and what I feel. It's raw. It's imperfect. But it's real. It's me.
I have to write this disclaimer that yes, I am a writer by day, but this is my space to break all the rules and to write freely. I am breaking grammatical rules left and right because what I want to happen is for the words and feelings to explode onto this space without fear and worry that I need to edit what I say and how I say it. I am sure every beloved English teacher and Journalism professor that have ever taught me are cringing and grabbing for their red pens, and I apologize.
Supposedly when you start a blog you have to pick a category. Nothing seemed to fit what I wanted this blog to be but I had to pick one and settled on the "Food and Lifestyle Blog" category, based on my selections.
My Blog Goals
When I started this process these were the goals that I penned in my notebook:
I want to craft a real blog...with real feelings, real food, real events, real memories and real opportunities to duplicate.
I want this space to be inviting, approachable and uncomplicated yet trustworthy...you know that if these recipes were conquered by me, then you can dive in and make them too.
I want this blog to cause you to run into the kitchen or to go grab your plus one or your offspring or pets and to love, to celebrate and to create rituals and memories...with no hesitation nor waiting another day.
I want to take you through the seasons of the year...and the seasons of life by providing ideas. I share bits and pieces and snippets of day to day merely to suggest, inspire and share.
I want to expose you to new recipes and share some of our family favorites. I come from a long line of amazing cooks (my mom and grandmas and uncles and great aunts) and bakers on both sides of my family with many great recipes lovingly shared from these family members, both living and deceased. I have a great uncle Harlan, a gourmet chef, who has wowed many over the years with his secret recipes, and when given the green-light with his permission, I will happily share his creations.
I use fresh ingredients whenever possible vs. other options and I stay away from processed foods. I live in the Pacific NW which rains and has a lack of fresh seasonal fruits and vegetables during the winter months but even then, I still strive to use fresh root vegetables or frozen and try to stay away from canned vegetable options.
I try to make almost all my recipes from scratch but not yet nothing too difficult (except for the challenge from The Bittens to make Bon Appetit's recipe) but I will be the first to mention if a recipe is going to be too time-consuming or challenging.
My daughter is deathly allergic to peanuts and all tree nuts which I try to stay away from cooking with although you will find a nut recipe every now and then for the times when she is away.
My favorite cookbook author is Ina Garten of the Barefoot Contessa fame and I was a huge fan after having my first baby over 14 years ago when I needed to learn how to become a better cook and Ina transformed my cooking (well, maybe that and the real butter she uses...whatever it takes).
I believe that there are no bad cooks...just people that don't follow directions.
When my friend Julie read my blog early-on, she shared "After reading your blog I feel as if I was pulled up to your kitchen table and we swapped ideas and recipes as we sat and sipped and laughed and cried together." And that is what I want this blog to be. I want you to feel that you are shimmying up to my bar stool at my kitchen counter and we are sharing and inspiring each other. I want this place to be where you can discover and share and be inspired along with me.
I want to show my non-cooking/non-baking friends/family that yes, indeed they can and these are the recipes for everyday cooking. Because I was that non-cooking, non-baking gal just a few short years ago in my early twenties. Just ask my old roommate Debbie.
She will tell you about the burnt potato casserole that surprisingly didn't start a fire, but probably cooked all day and all night, in the oven...when neither of us were home!
Or you could probably hear similar stories in regards to my lack of cooking abilities from any of my previous male relationships. I'm sure they would all concur. My first attempt at making carrot soup called for coriander and instead of using the ground version, I used the full seed pods. Um, awful is not a strong enough word to describe that flop of a recipe.
I am in that stage of life that I need to whip out a meal quickly and efficiently and it had better be worth of my time and turn out to be tasty and a hit with the family.I'm admitting that I am not a patient cook. I want to be able to knock-out a recipe quickly and easily but I want that recipe to have the "wow" factor.
I'm the epitome of the imperfect, 'messy but marvelous' cook. I am not meticulous and I am not detailed in my cooking. I am a mess-creating and kitchen-wrecking cook...as the Hubs would quickly confirm, as he is the guy that loves to clean the kitchen after my whirlwind strikes. ;)
I want you to taste these recipes and experience how incredible they are and realize that they are (for the most part) the healthier version in this edited form. I want them to be your foolproof, go-to, everyday recipes you can make over and over again.
I find items that you can find...if I can locate them in my small-town America, you can too...or we can order them from places like Amazon, thank goodness! ;)
A little about my family...
The Hubs and I have four kids together - two 12 year olds, and two 14 year olds. Yes, we are in that really "joyful" teen time of life! Honestly, I love this age. I'm not a fan of the diaper days and can do without the toddler meltdowns, although it seems that they are coming back. When I worked at a youth organization prior to having my own babies, the middle school and high school age groups were my favorite to work with.
You are probably trying to figure out how I could have birthed all those kids within a 28-month period or wondering if we have twins...and the answer is that we are a blended family. I used to LOVE watching the Brady Bunch growing up and now I have my own version. When we met we both had two children - all under the age of 6! Ironically, I had always dreamed of having either two or four children, (never three because of the middle man).
Blended families bring so much to the table and they take a lot of work but we are at our best when we are all together. It's hard to work with the comings and goings and we miss our kids terribly when they are away with the other parent. Hats off to them...the kids who adapt from one household to the next. I work really hard to make our house their home. Everyone has their own space and we honor each individual's uniqueness. We were blessed with two girls and two boys that for the most part, love being together! For years it was like a built-in playdate when we'd get the troops together every week.
I am always cooking as if I am feeding a family of six, regardless of who is seated at the table. It is not unusual for the kids to have friends over to join us for meals and sleepovers and I don't even think twice about adding another mouth or two, as it feels so normal now. Over the holidays, each of the four kids had a friend over for a sleepover. While at a basketball tournament, our friends were discussing where they would go out to eat. Knowing that a huge batch of Taco Soup was brewing in the Crock Pot, I quickly inivted the family of four over. That night, we served 14 pretty effortlessly (thanks to a slow cooker meal) and the Hubs' mad skills in whipping up a batch of his mom/grandma's cornbread and brownies.
I love being a mom. Gosh, it is the hardest task ever put before me, but honestly, it's my favorite. I cringe at the thought of becoming an empty-nester but also make sure that my kids' lives do not define me so that when they are gone, I will still have a life beyond raising children. The only problem with having all four kids within a 28-month span is that we are going to blink and they will all be out of the house tornado-style! Ugh! The way their birthdays fall, although they are the same ages (two of each) for part of the year (and the two babies are the same all but two months), they are all one year apart in school. So, yes, folks, that makes three in middle school and one in high school right now! (Thus, why I exercise and have an occasional adult beverage.)
I love being a wife to the Hubs. He was my second chance and now it's obvious that he is reason that I went through the hard times before we met. You never understand why you go through trials until you are out on the other side, adjusted and then - poof - surprise - an infectious smile with pearly whites beams you up at a University of Oregon Duck game, and the rest is history. He is my true north, my time-keeper, recipe-tester and best friend. He complements all my weaknesses and makes me want to be a better person. I'm mushy and moody and he accepts me regardless. He puts his family first and loves unconditionally. I am so lucky to have him! xo
There is not one answer for every situation. There is no darkness without light. There is no bitter without sweet. There is the choice to wake up every day and choose to fight for your love and relationships and believe you are worth fighting for too. Be brave. Take care of each other. - Author Unknown
I'm so glad that you are joining me, and my family, on this journey. Thanks for understanding my imperfections and excusing my grammatical errors in advance.
Kindness, I've discovered, is everything in life. -Isaac Bashevis Singer
Let's all love one another, celebrate and love this life we've been given!
I believe every human has a finite number of heart beats. I don't intend to waste any of mine. - Neil Armstrong
Now that Valentine's Day is a wrap, and the chocolates and heart-shaped frosted cookies have disappeared, it's time to roll up our sleeves for the real work. It's time to dedicate ourselves to loving our partners with on-going, daily acts of love. It's up to us to continue that loving connection beyond the celebrated love day.
Here's a list of 20 everyday ways we can connect with our partners/mates/spouses/significant others/loves (you get the drift):
1. Before saying goodbye each morning make sure you know one detail of what their day holds that you can follow up on later. The Hubs rocks at this one. He is so good about finding what my day holds (even when I am half awake and hitting the snooze button repeatedly) and then following up later in the evening. It's a great gesture and it means a lot.
2. Greet your mate as if you have not seen them for weeks or months! Watch the reaction you get from a heart-charged reunion. I am admitting I have to work on this one. So often when the Hubs walks in the door chaos is erupting around me. Oven alarms are sounding, someone is whining, the dog is scratching at the door to go outside, someone is inquiring about when dinner will be ready because they are famished, the pasta water is boiling over, the cat is trying to eat the dog food, someone needs to be dropped off or picked up at a sports practice five minutes ago, a phone is chiming a reminder that I was supposed to be at the said practice five minutes ago and the laundry dryer just finished the cycle and clothes need to be folded (because it is the third time I have hit "20 minutes more" so the wrinkles didn't set in the first three times the dryer finished). Needless to say, kissing the Hubs upon his arrival can often be a frantic half-side kiss instead of the lip smack that I would have liked to have planted. But on those days when I stop everything, focus, pause, and celebrate his home with an eye-locked, passionate (I mean it), relieved and so-excited-you-are-here with a kiss to match - it works.
3. Discover a unique way to provide genuine affection and appreciation whether you leave a little love note, paste their toothbrush, make their coffee/tea, pack their lunch, warm their shower/bath water, send a "thinking of you" text message or e-mail - figure out a way to take that little extra step to acknowledge, prepare or provide closure to their day.
4. Kiss every night just because...without reason...beyond the obligatory goodnight kiss or beyond the welcome home greeting.
5. Go outside of your comfort zone and try an activity that your partner loves but you may be reluctant to participate in. I attend a Club Dance class at our gym that predominately attracts females (but there are ALWAYS men too). I had really wanted the Hubs to join me. I assured him that the lights were dimmed and no one would even be able to see him in the class. Mind you, the Hubs is a great dancer. (We even won a dance contest together...but that is a crazy, side story and you must know that we aren't really that great but we were having the most fun and didn't take the contest as seriously as our competition, so we probably won because we were goofy/silly and not out for blood.) But, the Hubs didn't want to attend the class. I assured him that the class is so packed that no one can even focus on another and it is all we can do to keep up with dance instructor, Wesley. So, for my birthday, I convinced the Hubs to join me (because I told him that is what I REALLY wanted and everyone gets one day a year to call the shots, right?) So, he went. He did great. And he probably won't admit it, but he was dripping with sweat because it really is an intense workout (and I think he liked it)! Next up, I am sure he has me slated to go paintballing with him...and I will go (and probably love it)!
6. Dedicate at least one day a week to a weekly "date night" or dedicated "date time" with at least two hours of time spent with your mate. Our weekly date nights have morphed into date nights at the gym although we get our time to talk while decompressing in the hot tub post workout or between sets/reps.
This movie made for a lovely date night!
7. Figure out your mate's "love language" as described by Gary Chapman and try to find one way to shower your love with their "love language" with "acts of service", "gifts", "words of affirmation", "physical touch" or "quality time". This is such a simple premise once you know which of the five love languages your mate resonates with and you will be on your way to effectively expressing love to your mate.
8. Hug for more than just the obligatory greeting or exit type of hug. Doesn't that feel good from your head down to your toes?
We are huggers.
9. Ask your mate to share one bump and one jump of the day (one bad thing, one good thing) and listen...really listen to their response.
1o. Walk in their shoes. Imagine yourself in their routine, their job and their day.
11. Tell your mate what you like about them. One thing. Every day. When you start looking for something new each day, you will call attention and start tuning into the qualities you admire but may never comment on. Last night, I commented on how handsome the Hubs was as he sat immersed reading a Colin Powell book on leadership with his glasses that only make an appearance when he reads. I meant it. He beamed and it melted me.
12. Express yourself so that your partner knows what it is you mean, clearly, without question.
13. Explore a new way of experiencing closeness, affection and intimacy - beyond the everyday.
14. Cook a meal together. There is something about working in the kitchen together with music (like love songs from this list) playing in the background that I just love. Maybe it won't be cooking together for you but working on a project, painting a room or planting a garden together.
15. Celebrate the differences between you and your partner and relish in the fact that you are not identical. Find ways to learn from each other.
16. Get silly! There is something to be said for stripping away your ego and acting foolishly. In drama classes, one of the first acting projects is often centered on dramatizing an embarrassing moment or something that would make you cringe if you saw someone else doing the action. The result of the activity could lead to laughing together uncontrollably, or feeling safe enough with your partner to feeling totally vulnerable.
17. Share your dreams with your partner. Incorporate each other's dreams into a vision of your future together. Dreams change over time. Check in with your partner regularly to find out what they imagine for the future. Talk about ways you can support each other reaching those dreams.
18. Thank your partner for ways they enrich your journey. I can't tell you how often I have thanked the Hubs for cleaning the kitchen after one of my messy marathon cooking endeavors. He knows how much I appreciate it and chances are, he will do it again, knowing all the points he scores from his efforts.
19. Spend quality time together, fully present and engaged in a specific activity, no matter how trivial. Be awake to each other, tuned in and aware. Our lives are so busy that it becomes so easy to be ships in the night (and day). Stopping to carve a little uninterrupted one on one time can be a game changer for many busy couples.
20. Treat each day as it is your last one on earth. (Talk about a shift in thinking!)
This list is just the beginning of ways we can connect with our partners and just begins to touch on ideas - so what are some other ways of connecting that have worked for your relationships?
I think that I have established in previous posts that I am a bit of a romantic.
In honor of the upcoming Celebration of Love (Valentine's Day), I started making a playlist of love songs. But I know this list is not all encompassing and merely reflects songs I know by heart or that are in our music library.
While searching for my favorites, I couldn't help but take a musical walk down memory lane. Growing up in the seventies and being a teenager in the eighties, I was heavily influenced by the music being piped through the radio stations and my family's home. We did not have MTV as we lived in a rural area that did not get cable, so I was not privvy to much of the music of the generation, thus limited to the Top Pop songs.
First a few classics:
Someone to Watch Over Me (1920's)
It Had to Be You (1920's)
The Way You Look Tonight (did you know this song was originally from the 1930's?)
Blue Moon (1930's)
Unforgettable - Nat King Cole(1950's)
Chances Are - Johnny Mathis (1950's)
60's
Moon River - Andy Williams
Red Roses for a Blue Lady (1960's but I will admit that this song makes me swoon because I can hear my grandpa "Pop" playing it on the piano and singing it to my grandma.)
Unchained Melody - The Righteous Brothers
The Glory of Love - Otis Redding
When a Man Loves a Woman - Percy Sledge
In My Life- The Beatles
God Only Knows - The Beach Boys
Something - The Beatles
You Really Got Me - The Kinks
70's
Let Your Love Flow - The Bellamy Brothers
Your Song - Elton John
Wonderful Tonight - Eric Clapton
I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash
How Deep Is Your Love - Bee Gees
80's
High School Dances in the 80's conjure up butterflies and nervous first dances and sweaty palms and braces and shuffling back and forth on the dance floor, sigh...and these songs:
Have I Told You Lately - Van Morrison in 1989 but originally, the song was written in 1945!
Can't Fight This Feeling - REO Speedwagon
Crazy for You - Madonna
Almost Paradise - Mike Reno and Ann Wilson
Endless Love - Lionel Richie and Diana Ross
Hold Me Now - The Thompson Twins
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic - The Police
In Your Eyes - Peter Gabriel
Avalon- Roxy Music
True - Spandau Ballet
90's
Love Will Keep Us Alive - The Eagles
I Can Love You Like That - John Michael Montgomery
Falling - Ben Kweller
Thank You - Duran Duran
Only You - Yaz
Hide Your Love Away - Eddie Vedder (originally by the Beatles in the 60's)
Can't Help Falling In Love - UB40
Ice Cream - Sarah McLachlan
Iris - Goo Goo Dolls
More than Words - Extreme (hate to admit this one)
Friday I'm In Love - The Cure
2000's
The Luckiest - Ben Folds
Love - Matt White
Cruisin' - Huey Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow
If There's Love - Citizen Cope
Forever Love (Digame) - Anna Nalick
You're Beautiful - James Blunt
You and Me - Lifehouse
Won't Go Home Without You - Maroon 5
100 Years - Five for Fighting
She Will Be Loved - Maroon 5
Just the Way You Are - Bruno Mars/Glee Cast
Love Your Love the Most - Eric Church
Chances - Five for Fighting
Yellow - Coldplay
Lovesong - Sarah McLachlan
I Belong to You - Eros Ramazzotti
Bless the Broken Road - Rascal Flatts
Everybody - Ingrid Michaelson
So, I know that in no way is this list complete. In fact, while I was compiling this list, we had a power surge/outage and I lost many titles that I had added. Frustrated, I left my list as is and figured I would make an even more comprehensive list, next February...sigh. But, I would love to know your your favorite love songs! What are they?
A girl in love with the seasons who wants to cram as much as she can into the 365 days of the year to live a life of bliss. Welcome to What Matters Most Now! I hope you will find inspiration and recipes you love.
