Chocolate Cheesecake
Ingredients
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream (optional)
Directions
Prepare crumb crust by combining cracker or wafer crumbs, butter or
margarine, and 2 tablespoons sugar. Press mixture into bottom and 2 inches
up sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Refrigerate.
Melt chocolate chips in top of a double boiler over hot water. Set aside.
Beat cream cheese and 1 cup sugar in a large mixing bowl until smooth and
creamy. Blend in eggs. Gradually pour in chocolate mixture beating on low
speed until well-blended. Add 1/2 cup sour cream, flour, vanilla. Blend
until smooth. Pour into prepared crust.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 55 - 60
minutes or until filling is firm. Turn oven off. Cool cheesecake 1 hour
without opening door. Cool completely. Chill several hours or overnight.
Garnish just before serving with sweetened sour cream made by combining 1
tablespoon sugar with 1/2 cup sour cream.
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Strawberries must be dry when dipping.
The California Strawberry Commission recommends buying berries no more than
a day ahead of when you want to dip them. Store the berries refrigerator,
but allow them to warm to room temperature before dipping. After dipping,
let chocolate set in refrigerator, but do not store the strawberries there.
Eat within 48 hours.
Since strawberries grow on the ground, they should be washed before they are
eaten or dipped. Leave the green caps on and wash the berries gently with
cool water flowing from the tap so as not to bruise the fruit.
If you are going to dip berries in chocolate or vanilla, they need to be
completely dry. Just a tiny drop of water in the melted chocolate can cause
the whole batch to seize (curdle) and it will be impossible to melt the
chocolate and use it again. After washing the berries, pat them dry with a
paper towel and place them on a dry paper towel until needed.
You can use other dry-surfaced fruit such as orange-sections (leave membrane
on), dried fruit, citrus peel, apples (sliced or small whole), raspberries
(do not wash and thread 3 to 4 on skewers) or bananas sliced in long pieces.
White chocolate is great to use for a black and white effect. Let the first
chocolate harden before dipping or drizzling with the other.
Chocolate dipped strawberries are particularly delicious if injected with
Grand Marnier or other liquor after the chocolate hardens. Use a hypodermic
needle and syringe to inject the strawberries. If using apples, dip in
chopped toasted nuts right after dipping.
RECIPE #1
Classic Chocolate Dipped Strawberries -
Tempered chocolate works the best for covering strawberries with, but is not
necessary.
Tempered chocolate dries with a glossy surface and will harden properly;
sometimes chocolate that isn't tempered will not. Do not overheat any
chocolate while melting -- if chocolate gets too hot, it will burn or become
too thin and will drip off of the strawberries rather than adhere to them.
If the chocolate becomes too thick to work with, add drops of vegetable oil,
small amounts of vegetable shortening or cocoa butter (not butter or
margarine as it contains water) and stir until it becomes the right
consistency; do not turn up the heat thinking it isn't melting otherwise
you'll burn it. Once chocolate has been used for dipping fresh fruit in or
has added oil, it cannot be used to temper again. Instead, it can be melted
and used in baking recipes or for dipping.
18 large fresh strawberries (washed and pat dry) with stems and green caps
on.
1 pound semi sweet (or any type) chocolate pieces, coarsely chopped
toothpicks
Styrofoam
1. Cover jell-roll or any rimmed pan with parchment paper or foil.
Optionally place Styrofoam block in the center.
2. Insert a toothpick into the stem end of each strawberry or hold the stem.
3. Dip the strawberry into the chocolate, coating 3/4 of the lower part of
the berry, being careful not to cover the stem. Scrape the side of the bowl
on the way out. (Leave the green cap and some of the red berry showing for a
more decorative finished product). You may have to dip the strawberries
twice for a thicker chocolate coating - wait until the first coating has
hardened, then dip again.
4. Place fruit on paper-lined pan. You can spear the free end of the
toothpick into a piece of Styrofoam to allow the strawberry to dry upside
down. Allow coating to set. If desired, after the chocolate hardens, dip the
tip in a contrasting chocolate or white chocolate may be drizzled over the
dark chocolate for a fancier look.
5. After the chocolate hardens, remove the strawberries from the toothpicks.
You can also refrigerate until chocolate is set, but remove as soon as
chocolate is hardened, unless the weather or room is extremely hot.
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RECIPE #2
Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Makes 10 chocolate-covered strawberries
HAVE ALL INGREDIENTS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons heavy cream
10 large strawberries with long stems
1. Line a baking sheet with foil or waxed paper.
2. In the top of a double boiler set over hot water, melt the chocolate and
butter, stirring constantly until the chocolate melts. Add the cream and
stir until mixture is smooth. Let the mixture cool to tepid (100 degrees F -
body temperature).
3. Holding each strawberry by the stem, dip into the chocolate mixture
allowing the excess chocolate to drip back into the pan. If necessary, add
additional cream to the chocolate to achieve desired coating consistency.
Transfer the coated strawberry to the lined sheet and repeat process. Allow
the chocolate to cool and then chill the strawberries until chocolate is
set, about 20 to 30 minutes.
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RECIPE #3
White and Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Makes about 2 to 3 dozen berries.
1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) HERSHEY'S Premier White Chips
2 tablespoons shortening (do not use butter, margarine, spread or oil)
1 cup HERSHEY'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
4 cups (2 pt.) fresh strawberries, rinsed, patted dry and room temperature
1. Cover tray with wax paper.
2. Place white chips and 1 tablespoon shortening in medium microwave-safe
bowl. Microwave at HIGH (100%) 1 minute; stir until chips are melted and
mixture is smooth. If necessary, microwave at HIGH and additional 30 seconds
at a time, just until smooth when stirred.
3. Holding by top, dip 2/3 of each strawberry into white chip mixture; shake
gently to remove excess. Place on prepared tray; refrigerate until coating
is firm, at least 30 minutes.
4. Repeat microwave procedure with chocolate chips in clean microwave-safe
bowl. Dip lower 1/3 of each berry into chocolate mixture. Refrigerate until
firm. Refrigerate leftover strawberries.
VARIATIONS:
For double- and triple-dipped strawberries: After first coating of chocolate
is set, dip into contrasting chocolate, leaving part of the first chocolate
exposed. Repeat with third chocolate, if you wish, allowing each layer to
set between dips.
To drizzle strawberries with chocolate: Microwave chocolate in small plastic
bag until melted; squeeze into one corner of bag. Lay strawberries close
together on baking sheet. With scissors, cut a small hole in corner of bag,
and move back and forth over strawberries, squeezing bag gently.
Notes:
Microwave melting times vary with amount of chocolate and wattage of your
oven;
Chocolate chips may still hold their shape during microwaving, so stir them
half way through the melting time to check if they've liquefied; and,
Chocolate amounts are approximate; amount needed depends on size of
strawberries, and whether or not they are single-, double-, triple-dipped or
drizzled.
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Enjoy
Chef R. W. Miller
Marriott Resorts & Hotels
"TINY" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news
[email protected]...
> I want to make a chocolate cheese cake and make chocolate cover
strawberries
> for Valentine's day what would be a good chocolate to use that I could get
> at a local grocery store
>
>
