I Blog What I Bake

In the mood for something different?

Since returning to the full-time corporate workforce I have had minimal time to actually bake. I get really excited if I am able to bake once a week. So, in lieu of recipes I am going to do occasional posts on baked goods I have tried, kitchen gadgets I find useful and the like.  In the spirit of trying something different, I bring you Dark Chocolate Chevre (goat cheese) Brownies from the Vermont Brownie Company.

At the Vermont Brownie Company all of their brownies are made from scratch using local, natural and preservative free ingredients. I came across these curious little brownies watching Throw-down with Bobby Flay on the Food Network. Personally, I love love love goat cheese and was completely fascinated by the idea of dark chocolate goat cheese brownie. The episode wasn’t even halfway complete and I was already online, credit card in hand, ready to order the brownies. That was until I saw that it cost $23.00 for six brownies ($30.00 total with shipping).

Despite the price, I went ahead and bought the brownies. By this time I wasn’t just curious about the goat cheese brownie, but about why a brownie would cost so much. I figured this would probably be the best brownie I had ever eaten. (You all already know where this is headed, don’t you?)

The brownies arrived on Friday and I was as excited as a 5 year-old on Christmas morning.  Seriously, I was so giddy I was practically skipping. They arrived in very cute packaging and I am a sucker for packaging.

Each brownie is individually wrapped to assure freshness. And the whole thing is wrapped in neat crisp tissue paper and stickers. At this point I was assured, at the very least, that I got $23.00 worth of packaging. After taking a few pictures I tore into one of the brownies.

Let me start by saying this is one HEAVY brownie. I should have weighed one.  Now, there are two schools of thought when it comes to brownies. There are those who love thick fudgy brownies and those who love cakey brownies. I am of the the latter opinion. Maybe that was part of the problem.

Anyway, I bit the brownie expecting some kind of outter body experience.

Well… It wasn’t that these brownies didn’t taste good, they did. They were super rich and super chocolatey. So much so that I didn’t even taste the goat cheese, which was disappointing. I also couldn’t get past the density. I stuck it in the microwave for a few minutes to see what they would taste like warm. It was a slight improvement, but they got too moist. Almost like they were under-baked. I loved the big chunks of dark chocolate and visually these are beautiful brownies, but they just didn’t blow my mind in the taste and consistency department.  I also had no idea why they were so expensive. Yes, I know local farm ingredients can cost more because they are not produced in mass quantities, but $23.00 for six brownies?? I just didn’t get it. But since taste is subjective, I have given the brownies to a few friends who I hope will, in turn, post their feedback in the comments section.

The Vermont Brownie Company has a host of different brownie flavors and I encourage you to check them out for yourself. As for me, I am becoming increasingly wary of the Food Network.

Cheesecake. You know its bad for you and that’s why you love it.  Every time you have a slice of cheesecake you can’t help but feel a little naughty and a little dangerous. It’s one of the top five desserts in America and there are hundreds of varieties (it’s a very versatile dessert).  Just look at the dessert menu at the Cheesecake Factory…clearly we love our cheesecakes.

The recipe posted today is a hybrid. The cake recipe comes from my Uncle Peter, who is an excellent chef,  and the Oreo crust and raspberry topping I added myself.  I like the flavor and color combination.  The raspberry topping is also hiding the fact that I somewhat over-baked the cake and the top got all brown. Cheesecake tops should be as cream colored and smooth as possible. Mine was not. In comes the fruit. In the end I was happy I added the raspberries because it made the cheesecake just that much more rich and delicious.

OBSCENELY DECADENT CHEESECAKE
Recipe adapted from Peter Jones

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees

OREO CRUST
18 Oreos processed until fine
5 Tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted,

CHEESECAKE FILLING
2 ½ pounds of cream cheese ( 5 8oz packages), left to stand at room temp for about thirty to forty minutes
1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt
1 ½ cups of white granulated sugar
1/3 cup of sour cream
2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 large egg yolks plus six large whole eggs

RASPBERRY TOPPING
1 ½ Cups raspberry jelly (not jam and not preserves)
2-3 half pints of fresh raspberries (depends on how loaded up with berries you want the cake)
1/2 teaspoon of fresh lemon juice

First things first, make the crust.  Put all of the Oreos into a food processor and process until fine. There shouldn’t be any big Oreo chunks left. With the food processor still on, slowly pour in the melted butter and process until incorporated. If you don’t have a food processor, put them in a ziploc freezer bag and beat the heck out of them with a rolling pin or other heavy object. Pour the crumbs and the butter into a bowl and mix together.

Pour the crumb/butter mixture into a springform pan and press the mixture until it covers the bottom of the pan and a little of the sides. Make sure there aren’t any gaps.  Bake the crust at 325 degrees for 13 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool while preparing the cheesecake filling.

Time for the filling. Place all the cream cheese into a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, or a large bowl. (At this stage you should hear you arteries start to softly whimper.) Beat the cream cheese at medium-low speed until broken up and soft. About one minute. Scrape down the sides of bowl and paddle (or beaters).

Add the salt and half of the sugar and beat at medium-low speed until combined. Scrape down bowl and paddle. Add the remaining sugar and beat until combined. Scrape bowl – sensing a theme yet? Add sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla and beat at low speed until combined. Scrape bowl.

Add the two egg yolks and beat at medium-low speed until combined. Yup, scrape the bowl. Add the whole eggs two at a time, beating until thoroughly combined and scraping the bowl between additions.

Brush the sides of the springform pan with melted butter. Pour the filling into the cooled crust.

Wrap the bottom of the pan with foil (prevents water from getting in) and place into a water bath. A roasting pan is the only pan I had that was big enough. Fill water a little less than half way up the pan. Place the whole thing into an oven that has been preheated to 325 degrees and bake for approximately 1 1/2 hours. KEEP AN EYE ON IT. I should have been watching it closely at around the 1 hour mark. It was some where between 60-90 minutes that it browned on me.

Here it is. My brown wrinkely cheesecake. Oy. It still tasted great. Anyway, once the cheesecake is out of the oven leave it in the springform pan until almost completely cooled, about 2 1/2 hours. Once cooled, release from pan, cover with plastic wrap and set it in the fridge to set completely. At least another 3 hours.

I have zero pictures of the next part. Bear with me. Place the raspberry jelly in a small saucepan over low heat until the the jelly has liquefied. About 5 minutes. Stir in a teaspoon of lemon juice. Place fresh raspberries into a bowl and our the liquid jelly over the berries. Gently stir until all the berries are coated. Pour over the top of the cake. Cover with plastic wrap and pop it back into the fridge. Preferably overnight.

So, the next time you feel like indulging yourself with a dangerously delicious dessert this cheesecake recipe should just about do it.  Thanks for reading and thank you Uncle Peter for the recipe! Enjoy! I know I will.