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Dark Chocolate and Pumpkin Cheesecake
Chocolate Pecan Cookie Crust -
1 cup pecan pieces
6 Deep Dark Chocolate Fudge Cookies (recipe follows)
1 tsp. unsalted butter, melted
Chocolate Cheesecake -
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into 1/2-oz pieces
1/4 cup brewed coffee, full strength
3/4 lb. cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
Pumpkin Cheesecake -
2 tsp. unsalted butter, melted
1 lb. cream cheese
3/4 granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tap. ground cloves
Semisweet Chocolate Ganache -
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
12 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into 1/2-oz pieces
Preheat oven to 325F.
Toast the pecan pieces on a baking sheet in pre-heated oven for 6 to 8
minutes. Remove form the oven and allow to cool to room
temperature. Lower oven temperature to 300 F. In a food processor
fitted with metal blade, chop the cookies and the pecans until they are
crumbs (yield about 2 cups of crumbs), about 20 to 30 seconds. Set
aside.
Coat the bottom of a 9"x3" spring form pan with 1 tsp. melted
butter. Use hands to press 1 cup of crumbs to a uniform level and
thickness on the butter bottom of pan. Set aside.
To prepare the chocolate cheesecake, heat 1 inch of water in the bottom
half of a double boiler over medium-high heat. Place the semisweet
chocolate and coffee in the top half of the double boiler.
Tightly cover the top with film wrap and allow to heat for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir until smooth.
Place 3/4 pound softened cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, and 1/2 tsp. salt
in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on low for 1
minute and on medium for 2 minutes. Scrape down bowl. Add 3 eggs,
one at a time, beating on high for 20 seconds and scraping down the
bowl after each addition. Then beat mixture for 1 minute more on high.
Add 1 tsp. vanilla and beat on medium for 15 seconds. Add the melted
chocolate mixture and beat on medium for 30 seconds. Remove bowl from
the mixer. Use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the batter until it is
smooth and thoroughly combined. Pour cheesecake mixture into the
prepared springform pan, spreading evenly. Keep at room
temperature while preparing pumpkin cheesecake batter.
To prepare pumpkin cheesecake, coat the inside of a 9"x1 1/2" cake pan
with 1 tsp. butter. Line the pan with an 8-inch square of
parchment paper. Coat the parchment paper with the remaining
teaspoon of butter. Set aside until needed.
Place 1 pound of softened cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, the flour, and
1/2 tsp. salt in the bowl of electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat
on low for 1 minute and on medium for 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of
bowl, then beat on medium for 2 more minutes and on high for 3 minutes.
Scrape down bowl. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating on high for
20 seconds and scraping down bowl after each addition. Add 1 tsp.
vanilla and beat on medium for 15 seconds, then beat on high for 2 more
minutes. Add the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, allspice, and cloves, then
beat on medium for 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the
mixer. Use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the batter until it
is smooth and thoroughly combined. Pour the pumpkin cheesecake mixture
into the prepared cake pan, spreading evenly.
Place a 9"x1 1/2" cake pan partially filled with 4 cups of hot water on
the bottom rack of the 300 F oven (the bottom rack should be at least 3
inches below the center rack). Place both cheesecakes on the
center rack of the oven and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes, until the
internal temperature of the cheesecake fillings reaches 170 degrees F.
Turn off the oven and allow the cheesecakes to remain in the oven for
an additional 20 minutes. Remove form the oven and cool at room
temperature for 20 minutes. Refrigerate the chocolate cheesecake for 1
hour, but keep pumpkin cheesecake at room temperature (do not remove
either cake from pan.
To prepare the ganache, heat the heavy cream, butter, and sugar in a 2
1/2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, stir to dissolve
sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil. Place the chocolate in a
stainless steel bowl. Pour the boiling cream over the chocolate and
allow to stand for 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Allow to
cool to room temperature.
Pour 1 cup of the semi-sweet chocolate ganache over the top of the
chilled chocolate cheesecake. Spread evenly over the top of the
cake. Invert the pumpkin cheesecake onto the layer of
ganache. Gently press down on the cake to set in place. Wrap
the entire spring form pan with film wrap and refrigerate for 3 hours.
The cheesecake can now be released from the spring form. Remove film
wrap and wrap a damp, hot towel around the sides of the pan (the towel
should be large enough to completely wrap around and cove the sides of
the pan) and hold around the pan form 1 minute. Carefully release
and remove the springform pan. Using a cake spatula, smooth the
sides of the cake with 2 to 3 Tbsps. of the ganache. Spread the
remaining ganache evenly across the top of the cake. press remaining
cookie/pecan crumbs into the sides of the cake, coating
evenly. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before cutting and
serving.
Heat the blade of the serrated knife under hot water before cutting and run it under hot water after making each slice.
(In the notes section of the recipe called The Chef's Touch, Marcel
suggests the following: For an extra special touch, decorate the
top of the uncut cake with sour cream and brown sugar: whisk together
in a stainless steel bowl 3/4 cup sour cream and 1 Tbsps. light brown
sugar. Pour the mixture onto the center area of the cake. Using a
spatula, spread the sour cream to within 2 inches of the outside edge
of the top of the cake. Now for the final touch, evenly space 12 pecan
halves 1/2 inch from the outer edge of the top. refrigerate for an hour
before cutting and serving.)
Deep Dark Chocolate Fudge Cookies -
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Nestle unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, broken into 1/2-oz pieces
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, broken into 1/2-oz pieces
1 1/2 cups tightly packed light brown sugar
12 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
Preheat oven to 325F.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt onto waxed paper. Set aside
Heat 1 inch of water in the bottom half of a double boiler over medium
heat. Place the semisweet and the unsweetened chocolate in the top half
of the double boiler. Tightly cover the top with film wrap and
allow to heat for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove form heat and stir until
smooth. Keep at room temperature until needed.
Place the light brown sugar and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer
fitted with a paddle. Beat on medium for 1 minute. Scrape down the
bowl and beat on high for an additional 30 seconds. Scrape down
bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, while beating on medium and
stopping to scrape down bowl after incorporating each
addition. Add the vanilla and beat on medium for 30 seconds.
Add the melted chocolate and beat on low for 10 seconds. Scrape down
bowl and beat an additional 30 seconds. Add the sifted flour,
cocoa, and baking soda and beat on low until thoroughly combined, about
20 to 30 seconds. Remove the bowl from the mixer and mix thoroughly
with a rubber spatula.
Portion 6 to 8 cookies per baking sheet by dropping 2 level Tbsps. of
batter per cookie onto each of 2 non-stick baking sheets. Place
the cookies on the top and middle shelves of the preheated oven and
bake for 18 to 22 minutes, rotating sheets from top to bottom about
halfway through the baking time. Allow the cookies to cool for 5 to 6
minutes on the baking sheets. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to
thoroughly cool before storing in a sealed plastic
container. Repeat the procedure until all the cookies have been
baked. (Makes 3 to 3 1/2 dozen cookies.)
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