Kahlua Custard

I had extra chocolate tart dough, and didn't want to leave it in the fridge for too long, so last night I pushed the extra into two ramekins and then thought and thought of what to fill it with. Eventually, I came up with the obvious choice: custard. I found a simple vanilla custard recipe, but decided to peruse the liquor cabinet for a sumptuous addition and settled on Kahlua. After it got all browned and set and smelled like coffee, I topped it with crushed Macadamias for some continuity. Yom.

-R

Raspberry Tart: The Result

I would serve this at room temperature, and if I had a sprig of mint, it would be on that puppy so fast. Although I'm a little disappointed that I couldn't find fresh currants at Wegman's, this is obviously the clear substitute.

-R

Raspberry Tart: The Process

Grated Butter for Crust

Pureed Raspberries and Sugar ready to boil

Chocolate Tart dough made by grating frozen butter and hand kneading. Kept in the fridge for a half an hour or so, and ready to bake.

The baked shell, sides cleaned up with a pizza cutter, filled with the raspberry filling that has been spiked with gelatin!

Making ganache...

Ganache made....

Once the gelee is cooled, pour the ganache on top.

Currently setting in the fridge is a raspberry gelee/chocolate ganache tart: a spin-off of my much coveted Red Currant tart by Palachinka. The only condition: I'm using a removable-bottomed cheesecake pan instead of a traditional tart tin, but so far this has proved to only be a minor disability. The final result will reveal itself tomorrow...

-R

Cheesecake Brownies! Cheeeecaesake brwoooniessss!

I finally get a day where I don't have to be anywhere until 6:00!

SO I'M MAKING CHEESECAKE BROWNIES RAWWRRRRR

Pics in backwards order LOLZ

Result: I cut them while they were still hot (bah couldn't wait!), so the presentation is a little messy, but I have to say they are pretty delicious. I may have cooked them for just a few minutes too long, seeing as the outside pieces are a little too cake-y for my tastes (the closer to fudge, the better the brownie for me), but all-in-all the recipe was crazy easy, and looks so pretty!

Recipe follows... I used unsweetened bakers chocolate instead of bittersweet, and put a bit of cinnamon in the cheese-cake portion. I think these brownies could benefit from some sort of fruity swirl. Raspberry? Most definitely. Maybe next time!

(from www.davidlebovitz.com)

Cheesecake Brownies
One 9-inch (23cm) square pan
6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces4 ounces (115g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped2/3 cup (130g) sugar2 large eggs, at room temperature1/2 cup (70g) flour1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder1/8 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon vanilla extract1/2 cup (80g) chocolate chips
8 ounces (200g) cream cheese, at room temperature1 large egg yolk5 tablespoons (75g) sugar1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Line a 9-inch (23cm) square pan with foil, making sure it goes up all four sides. Use two sheets if necessary. Mist with non-stick spray or grease lightly.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (180C).
3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and chocolate over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and beat in the 2/3 cup (130g) sugar, then the eggs.
4. Mix in the flour, cocoa powder and salt, then the vanilla and chocolate chips. Spread evenly in the prepared pan.
5. In a separate bowl, beat together the cream cheese, the yolk, 5 tablespoons (75g) of sugar, and vanilla until smooth.
6. Distribute the cream cheese mixture in eight dollops across the top of the brownie mixture, then take a dull knife or spatula and swirl the cream cheese mixture with the chocolate batter

. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the batter in the center of the pan feels just set.
Let cool, then lift out the foil and peel it away. Cut the brownies into squares.
Storage: These will keep in an airtight container for a couple of days. They also freeze well, too.

RAHHH as I was copy/paste - ing this I realized I completely left out the salt!! Salt is crucial for pulling out flavor, do not forget it! (Hits self)

Also, I just greased the pan, no foil. They came out fine.

-R