10.11.2004

 

Cheesecake's in!

Lauren, feel free to make your sound effect if you haven't already...

I have to be immodest for a moment and report that my first cheesecake ever is freakin' good. I made a pumpkin cheesecake with a ginger-snap crust (thank Jeannette for the crust idea), and it's so yummy! I had to refrigerate it throughout the night, so Jack and I didn't get to sample it until tonight after we were already full from dinner, but it was worth the wait. Mmmmmm.

The recipe wasn't difficult; the only part I'm not looking forward to doing again is the "crumbling" of the ginger snaps for the crust. I bought some ginger snaps in a brown bag at the store that looked fairly down-home and traditional, and they're definitely more snappy than most. They crunch a LOT. I tried to use the method of putting the cookies in a plastic bag and running the rolling pin over them, which works really well for graham crackers, cereal, etc., but which hardly made a dent in these tough cookies. Cut to me using the rolling pin as a gavel and pounding the bag of cookies on the countertop with all my might. I succeeded in adding many holes to the plastic bag. It still took me several minutes to break up the cookies, and I ended up with a few large pieces in my crust, but they all got kind of soft with all the melted butter and the cheesecake on top of them, so it doesn't much matter now. It still wasn't such a fun task, so I think I'll try the food processor next time (hoping that these cookies don't ruin the blade!).

I also fell victim to what is apparently a common problem among those who make cheesecakes; I ended up with a trench in the middle of mine after it puffed up in the oven and then deflated in the fridge. I have since learned that the remedy to that is to cover it while it's hot to seal in the moisture, and I guess if I had been thinking, I would have done that anyway. But it's something to keep in mind for Cheesecake, Take 2.

We put half of it in the freezer, so there will definitely be a bunch left when Jack's parents come this weekend to help us eat it. Mmmmmmm, I say again.

Labels:


 

Comments:

Blenders do a great job of chopping up cookies! If you don't have one, you should add it to your Christmas or birthday list.
 
(oops -- forgot to sign my name on that blender suggestion! --Anonymous Mom)
 
Yes, Anonymous, we have a blender; I just didn't think to use it! You can bet that I won't try to be a hero next time, however. =) I thought, "Hey, they're just cookies... how hard can it be to crumb them??" Ha.
 
heheh, I can imagine you in the kitchen talking to yourself, or perhaps the cookies, rolling pin in hand while trying to chop them up. Too funny. I'm glad it turned out fabulous. My mom makes pumpkin cheescake every Thanksgiving/Chrismas ish, and it's fabulous! =) Have a fabulous visit with Jack's parents!!
 
BEEP BEEEEEEP! Cheesecake's in! :-) I couldn't resist. The image of you banging cookies in a ziploc bag is hilarious, partly because I've done it myself. Though, I did it with fresh strawberries the past two summers when Sarah & I made strawberry jam. Obviously, those weren't quite as hard as the ginger snaps, but they were like little juicy eyes slipping around, because they would cleverly escape instead of mush when the rolling pin came down on them! LOL.

Anyway, pumpkin cheesecake sounds so yummy!! I might have to get your recipe for my committee during my masters defense (it is department tradition to bring food to committee meetings). Last fall for my masters proposal, I made pumpkin muffins and they were very popular....maybe pumpkin cheesecake would encourage them to be easy on me!
 
Hi Erica. You can also put sour cream or yogurt(which I like much better) on top of the cheesecake. Adds a different taste and also covers all those cracks!!!!
I was going to tell you to use a blender or food processor too. It won't hurt the blades.
Barb
 
Post a Comment

<< Home

self

archives

what I read

where I go