Aunt Gail’s Cheesecake

There is only one type of cheesecake that I like – my Aunt Gail’s.  I have tried many others – New York, Montreal,  your grandmother’s, etc.  Sorry, they do nothing for me.  And also?  Chocolate cheesecake?  Whoever came up with THAT idea should be shot because really?  GROSS.

Last night I made Aunt Gail’s cheesecake for a dinner party I am going to this evening – here is the recipe – so simple yet so incredibly delicious!

Ingredients:

Crust – 2 1/2 cups Graham cracker crumbs, 1/2 cup melted butter, 1/2 cup extra-fine granulated sugar

Cake – 2 packages cream cheese, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup extra-fine granulated sugar, 2 eggs

Top – 1 pint sour cream, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 tablespoons extra-fine granulated sugar

Directions:

1.  combine crumbs, melted butter and sugar, press into spring-form cake pan

2.  combine cream cheese, sugar and eggs until smooth

3.  pour into crust

4.  bake at 350 for 20 minutes

5.  combine sour cream, sugar and vanilla

6.  pour on top of partially baked cheesecake

7.  bake for 10 minutes

8.  turn oven off and leave cheesecake inside for 45 minutes

9.  cool completely

10.  top with whatever fruit coulis you like (I did raspberries and blueberries because I had some in the freezer)

11.  enjoy!

add melted butter & sugar to crumbs for crust - OMG smells so good!!

press crust into springform cake pan

combine cream cheese, sugar & eggs

beat until smooth

LOVE LOVE LOVE my pink Kitchen-Aid standing mixer

pour into prepared crust (don't know why this photo looks so odd)

spread sour cream mixture on partially baked cheese cake - and back in the oven it goes

meanwhile, make your fruit coulis - blueberries & raspberries fresh-frozen from the summer

berries, a little sugar, some lemon zest & juice - so easy!

pour coulis when cool (again, not a great photo - I REALLY need a new camera ...)

mac & cheese – with a twist

I am a huge fan of macaroni & cheese.  NOT Kraft Dinner, ever, but real, old fashioned, baked macaroni & cheese.  Last winter I went on a ski weekend with a few friends and we were each in charge of one dinner.  I brought this adult-version of mac & cheese – the truffle oil really makes it sing –  and it was a HUGE hit.  Relatively quick and easy to make, it has definitely been added to my go-to repertoire of recipes.

Ingredients:

3 cups, sliced, of a good variety of FRESH (not dried) mushrooms – crimini, oyster, shiitake, portobello, chanterelle – whatever you have on hand or is readily available

1/2 cup white wine or sherry

1/2 cup soft goat chees

1/2 cup Gruyère cheese, grated

1 cup SHARP cheddar cheese, grated

4 tbsp unsalted butter

4 tbsp all-purpose flour

2 cups milk

fresh grated nutmeg (about 1/4 tsp)

2 tsps each fresh sage & rosemary, chopped fine

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tbsp white truffle oil

1 box macaroni or other short-cut noodles

1/2 cup breadcrumbs (I use Panko)

1/4 cup grated parmigiana cheese

1. sautee mushrooms in butter & olive oil until soft and moisture has evaporated- about 15 minutes; de-glaze the pan with wine or sherry; set aside

2. cook noodles according to directions on the box – drain and put aside

2.  make a roux: melt butter, stir in flour, whisk until raw flavour is gone but not browned – all at once add the milk and whisk to keep smooth – keep on med-low heat until thickened

3.  add cheeses, pepper flakes, nutmeg, sage, rosemary, truffle oil, salt & pepper to taste – stir until cheeses have melted

4. stir sauce into the cooked noodles, pour into oven-proof dish

5. toss breadcrumbs and parmigiana cheese together – spread on top of noodles

6. bake for about 45 minutes, until brown and bubbling

7. ENJOY!

assemble your ingredients

sautee musrooms

set mushrooms aside until later

make bechamel sauce sauce

grate your cheese - make sure to use SHARP cheddar

truffle oil makes all the difference

in an oven-proof dish and into a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes - I was on the phone the whole time while amking this so forgot to photograph a few steps so you will just have to trust me that they happened ...

bake until bubbly and brown and crispy on top

goes really well with hot & spice homemade chili sauce - NOT ketchup!!!