Triple Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake

 

I thought I'd start off today's post with a somewhat obvious observation. Once you start baking (and inevitably sharing all of the diet-busting goodness with those around you) you tend to get a reputation for being "the girl who bakes," which can be a good thing and a bad thing. It's a good thing because once folks learn about your new found hobby, they're pretty willing to sample the results, and often end up being the best providers of honest feedback. This is great in-and-of itself because feedback leads to practice, and practice makes better, right? 

However, you may also begin fielding requests to bring baked goodies to every clam bake, birthday party and office function known to man. Now, I love baking, but if I had to whip up desserts every day, our kitchen would never be clean and I'd start to resent my new favorite hobby. So--as I suspect is the plight of many amateur bakers--I've had to perfect the ancient art of "No." In doing so, I've been able to focus on one thing at a time and ultimately make a better dessert, so I like to think it's a win-win for everybody! That leads me to today's recipe, which I used for another office party last month. 

The above ended up being a modified version of this Martha Stewart recipe for chocolate cheesecake, minus the chocolate ganache on top and with raspberry garnish instead. The crust I tweaked by adding crushed hazelnuts, which I'm a big fan of. Before you use them, make sure to blanch and toast them a bit to bring out the flavor. Also, make sure to blind bake the crust for about 10 minutes before adding the chocolate filling. Enjoy!

For the Crust:

1 package of Oreo Cookies (8-9 oz.) 

1 cup blanched, dry roasted and pulverized hazelnuts

1 stick unsalted butter

Verrine Chocolat-Framboise (Chocolate Raspberry Custard)

Hold onto your hats, folks! I've already gone off the reservation. Well, sort of. Although the idea of spending several weeks slogging through section one of Chef Felder's book (Les Pates et Les Tartes) filled me with glee, I couldn't help but take a detour through section two (Les Cremes). So much for going in sequential order. Oh well. The happy result is pictured above, a scrumptious and incredibly decadent chocolate custard.

From Patisserie: Mastering the Fundamentals of French Pastry

Verrine Chocolat-Framboise (Chocolate Raspberry Custard Cups)

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp (3 oz, 80 g) granulated sugar
4 egg yolks
7 oz. (200 g) bittersweet chocolate (60 to 70% cocoa)
10 oz. (300 g) raspberries
2/3 cup (150 ml) milk
5 Tbsp (100 ml) heavy cream

I used Ghirardelli's 60% Cacao Bittersweet Baking Chips, and was very pleased with the result. The custard is rich, so you only need a small portion, and the raspberry flavor is quite pronounced. This would be a perfect dessert to make for a dinner party, since it's quick and easy and needs to chill for at least two hours before serving. Dole out individual portions in miniature serving dishes, top off with a few fresh raspberries (our grocery store was out, so I had to opt for frozen) and some chocolate shavings, and voila! The husband and I had our Bastille Day chocolate fix in a flash. Vive la France! Up next from my detour through Les Cremes of Chef Felder, Creme Passion-Banane (Passion Fruit-Banana Cream). Stay tuned!