Alright, so this is... this is a little late. I get that. I could just not post it at all. But-- but this was very nice, and very special, and a fantastic recipe. And I loved my Valentine's Day, it was the best.
It started with this breakfast in bed that I made for Brian. I made the cheesecake the night before while he also made some surprises for Valentine's Day. He had no idea what I was making, it was so cute. The recipe I made actually made two mini ones. The cheesecake is a white chocolate based cheesecake, with a raspberry and rose flavoured syrupy topping. I also served it with some whipped cream and breves! And a vase of flowers. I know, it's super silly and girly to do such a thing for your boyfriend-- but I really, really wanted to show him how much I care. And whatever, I'm a girl. I'm gonna show caring in a girly way. Sometimes it's in a boyish way. I guess. I dunno.
I had this recipe for the cheesecake in my archives for, I believe, over a year. I've had this post sitting in my posts for like... two months. Because I haven't felt like posting it. Its not that I didn't LOVE my Valentine's Day (I did), it's just that it's so long ago, who is going to care about this-- but thats also partially because I'm taking so long to post them. So let's see... I had this recipe in my archives, but was delaying because its use of rose made me go "wut, I gotta save this for valentine's day", so I did.
This cheesecake consists of a rich white chocolate (cheesecake) base. A chocolate crust. And a layer of raspberry 'sauce' that's cooked with rose water. I also used rose nectar (did I mention that before??)The cookie on top is what I used to make the crust, per the suggestion of the recipe I got it from. It's a "mexican heart of fire" cookie. So it's got cinnamon and spiciness and amazingness. I really liked these, though they were slightly bitter. They were good with tea!!
I had such a great V-day. I made this for breakfast for Brian, then we went to the beach in Malibu and had a picnic (he made pasta salad!!) with strawberries, some of the aforementioned pasta salad, whipped cream, bread, cheese, and wine. Then he took me down to Santa Monica (I napped a bit on the way) and we had dinner at JiRaffe. it was sooo good. I was so full by the end of the night. Ok, I think that's all I have to talk about. :x For now. I have a fashion show tomorrow (YES!) and some pretty packed evenings/days planned, but I think I'll have more things to post soon. :)
1/8 cup chocolate cookie crumbs (listed below)
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 package cream cheese
3 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup raspberry jam
1 tablespoon rose flower water
1 teaspoon rose nectar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla vodka
1/8 cup fresh raspberries, mashed.
Oven at 350 Degrees Fahrenheit.
To prepare the cookie base, mix together the cookie crumbs and butter and sprinkle over the bottom of the pan, making a thin layer.
Begin by melting the white chocolate: put it in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Continue microwaving until creamy, 10 seconds at a time. Meanwhile, mix the cream cheese with the sugar with a hand mixer until smooth. Add in the eggs and white chocolate and pulse until combined well. Pour the batter into the cookie coated pan and bake for 15 minutes. Be sure to put a small pan of water in the oven to keep the cheesecake moist.
Remove from the oven and let rest for five minutes.
While baking, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream with the sugar and vanilla. Let set until sugar is completely dissolved. Pour the sour cream mixture over the cheesecake and return to the oven for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
Make the raspberry topping by bringing the jam to a simmer in a small saucepan. Whisk in the rose water/nectar and vodka until smooth. Add the crushed raspberries in. Strain the mix through a strainer and let cool slightly, then spread onto the cheesecake. Refrigerate until set.
While baking, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together the sour cream with the sugar and vanilla. Let set until sugar is completely dissolved. Pour the sour cream mixture over the cheesecake and return to the oven for 8 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature.
Make the raspberry topping by bringing the jam to a simmer in a small saucepan. Whisk in the rose water/nectar and vodka until smooth. Add the crushed raspberries in. Strain the mix through a strainer and let cool slightly, then spread onto the cheesecake. Refrigerate until set.
Serve with a dollop of rose flavored whipped cream (like I did) and some coffee. Or by itself!!
Mexican Heart of Fire Cookies
Recipe from Luna's Cafe
1/4 cup flour
1/8 cup cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup + tablespoon sugar
minced zest of 1/4 orange
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon orange extract
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon chile powder (I used ancho chile)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne powder
Oven at 325 Degrees Fahrenheit.
Sift together the flour, cocoa, and salt. In a separate bowl cream together the butter, sugar, orange zest, vanilla extract, orange extract, cinnamon, chile powder, and cayenne pepper. Once thoroughly combined, add in the flour mixture. Should be pretty dry. Divide the dough into pieces. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Once cool, remove from the fridge and roll to be thin, like 1/8" or so. Cut into heart shapes and bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 2 minutes.
Heat some of that white chocolate in a bowl in the microwave as per previous instructions and drizzle over these cookies for amazingness.
Once cool, remove from the fridge and roll to be thin, like 1/8" or so. Cut into heart shapes and bake for 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 2 minutes.
Heat some of that white chocolate in a bowl in the microwave as per previous instructions and drizzle over these cookies for amazingness.
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