Since Thanksgiving, my baking has kicked into high gear. Thus far, I’ve done 12 cheesecakes and have three more to go before Christmas (thank goodness the end is in sight). I’m almost to the point where I may need to open up a shop and go commercial! The rave reviews keep pouring in . . . my favorites this holiday season are the Honey and Ginger (posted July 24, 2008),the Cranberry/Pistachio (posted December 7, 2008), and a new one that I tried — the Toffee Crunch Caramel (posted here).
Of course, my holiday baking also includes an assortment of candies and cookies . . . in an already busy schedule I’m amazed that I can keep up. Since I know I’m not crazy, I realize that I’m truly dedicated and really enjoy making these gifts of my time and talent. Oh well, I can take a rest once the holidays are over.
Give this one a go, I think you’ll enjoy it tremendously!
Toffee Crunch Caramel Cheesecake (from www.Epicurious.com)
Gingersnap crust:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/2 cups ground gingersnap cookies (about 7 1/4 ounces)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons (packed) golden brown sugar
Cheesecake:
4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter, melted
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Caramel topping
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup heavy whipping cream
4 1.4-ounce English toffee candy bars (such as Heath or Skor), chopped
For gingersnap crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom of 9-inch springform pan with 2 1/2-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Stir ground cookies, butter, and sugar in medium bowl until moist clumps form. Press cookie mixture firmly onto bottom of prepared pan. Wrap outside of pan with 3 layers of heavy-duty foil. Bake crust until firm and beginning to darken, about 14 minutes. Cool crust. Maintain oven temperature.
For cheesecake:
Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Beat in butter, then eggs, 1 at a time, until just blended. Beat in vanilla. Pour batter over crust in pan. Place springform pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to come halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake cake uncovered until filling is puffed around edges and moves slightly in center when pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove pan from water; remove foil. Place hot cheesecake uncovered in refrigerator overnight.
For caramel topping:
Stir sugar, water, and lemon juice in large saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil without stirring until mixture turns deep amber, occasionally swirling pan and brushing down sides with wet pastry brush, about 9 minutes. Add cream (mixture will bubble — be very careful, they are not kidding, it really does “steam” and bubble over quite aggressively). Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Chill until thickened but still pourable, about 15 minutes.
Spoon caramel over top of cake just to edges (do not allow caramel to drip down sides). Garnish top edges with chopped English toffee. Chill at least 2 hours and up to 6 hours.
Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake; release pan sides.
Bon Appétit
Go Green! And, congratulations on your first-round victory against Robert Morris. Of the seven Big Ten teams to start the tournament, only 4 have advanced to the next round (Michigan, Purdue, Wisconsin, and Michigan State). My only disappointment . . . not being able to actually watch the game (the MSU game was not one of the games being broadcast in our area) — of course, the Spartans started pulling away just before the end of the first half and never looked back in the second half. Poor Ohio State loses in double-overtime.
Okay, here it is . . . the latest necktie of the month. This particular tie was purchased on a trip to Kansas City a couple of years ago at 