Lemon Cheesecake with Ginger Shortbread Crust

Tweet

I was recently invited by Walkers Shortbread to become an ambassador for their company. I've been a lifelong fan of Walkers Shortbread, so I jumped at the chance to join their program. One of the things I love about Walkers products is that they are made with all natural ingredients. The original shortbread is still made with just four ingredients: flour, butter, sugar, and salt, that's it!
As an ambassador, Walkers Shortbread has supplied me with several boxes of their cookies (score!). Included in this box was a box of the stem ginger shortbread cookies. I had never had the stem ginger cookies, one of Walkers' gourmet line of shortbreads but they may have become my new favorite. They are the perfect marriage of a shortbread cookie and gingersnap! I decided to grind them up and use the ginger cookies to make the crust for my lemon cheese cake.

Lemon Cheesecake with Ginger Shortbread Crust

Source: Food.com, by studentchef, adapted

PRINTABLE RECIPE

For the Crust:

1 5.3 ounce package of Walkers Stem Ginger Cookies, finely ground

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

For the Filling:

1 lb cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
3 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cheesecake topping:

3/4 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/3 cup whipping cream

 Blackberry Topping:

2 1/2 cups of fresh blackberries, divided

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

METHOD:

For the Crust:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly butter the sides of an 8 inch springform pan.

Place the Walkers ginger shortbread cookies into a food processor and process until they become crumbs with no large pieces. Stir in the melted butter and press the mixture evenly over the bottom of an 8 inch springform pan.

Place the springform pan on top of a flat baking pan or cookie pan. Bake the crust for about 5-8 minutes of until it starts to brown a bit around the edges.

For the Cheesecake Filling:

 In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the  sour cream. Add the in beaten eggs, in a slow stream and mix until well combined. Scrape down the bowl, and stir in lemon juice, zest, and vanilla.

Pour into baked ginger crust and place in oven. Immediately turn heat down to 300 degrees F and bake for one hour.

Turn oven off. Crack open the oven door and let cake sit in oven for another 30 minutes. Remove cake from the oven and set on rack while mixing up the topping.

For cheesecake topping:

Set oven temp to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, combine all three ingredients, mix with a spoon until smooth.

Spread the mixture over top of baked cheesecake. If your cheese cake has any cracks on top,use the topping to fill them in.

Bake until set, about 10-15 minutes. Allow cake to cool for several hours before removing side of springform pan. Chill until ready to serve.

For the blackberry topping:

Place 1 1/2 cups of the blackberries into a small sauce pan. Add the rest of the ingredients, cook over medium high heat until the berries release their juices, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining blackberries. Top the cooled cheesecake with the blackberry mixture. 

Cheesecake can be wrapped closely in plastic and refrigerated for about four days or frozen two weeks.

 This lemony cheesecake has a ginger-laced shortbread crust and is topped with a blackberry compote. It would be the perfect ending for your Mother's Day lunch or brunch.

Walkers has provided me with a special promo code for my readers to save 20% off your next purchase from, www.walkersus.com. Go to the site, place your order for any of their regular priced products and when you check out enter the code #HBBSPRING to receive the 20% discount on your order. This is offer is good until May 24th, 2013, so don't miss out!

Blackberry Mascarpone Tart

Tweet

Spring fever has struck me this week! Here in the South, Spring starts playing peek-a-boo with us right about now. The trees are starting to bud, the azaleas and dogwoods are beginning to break out. In the morning I'm reaching for a sweater, but by late afternoon, I'm contemplating breaking out the flip flops. I'm sooo ready for the flip flops but unfortunately I'll probably have to wait awhile to actually be able to wear them without my toes turning the color of these blackberries. Oh well I guess I have to settle for Spring desserts for now.

It may be a bit early to break out the flip flops but this blackberry tart is like Spring on a plate. This tart is not only absolutely delicious but so pretty it could be the center piece on your Easter table. Oh and did I mention, it couldn't be easier to make. Perfect!

Hello Spring!

Blackberry Mascarpone Tart
Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
1 stick unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup almond flour*
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 8 ounce package of mascarpone
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 cups blackberries
1/4 cup toasted almonds (optional)
powdered sugar, for dusting top

METHOD:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the granulated sugar. Add in salt and flours and mix until just combined. Press dough into a 9 inch tart pan. Bake for 20 minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Allow to cool completely.

In an electric mixer bowl, fitted with the paddle attachment, combine cheese and confectioner’s sugar. Add the cream. When it is all incorporated, switch to the whisk attachment, and increase the speed to high. Whisk until stiff peaks form.

Remove tart shell from the pan. Spread the cheese filling into the shell. Place the blackberries on top of the mascarpone mixture. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Before serving sprinkle with toasted almonds, if desired, and dust top of tart with powdered sugar.

*This recipe is not only easy but very adaptable as well. The almond flour can be replaced with any finely ground nut or with regular flour but I recommend a nut flour. It makes this tart just a little extra special. The mascarpone can be replaced with cream cheese, but the tart won't be quite as luscious. Almost any berry can be substituted for the blackberries, strawberries would be fantastic.

The wild azaleas are in bloom in the woods behind my house....flip flops are sure to follow!

My favorite question

Tweet

It was a "what are we going to have for dinner?" kind of night. I had a busy day and hadn't given any thought what so ever to what to have for dinner. I scanned the fridge and freezer trying to come up with an idea before hubby's call on the way home from work. The call usually goes something like this:

Hubby- "Hi, I'm on my way home."

Me- "Okay..."

"What's going on?"

"Nothing much, the usual." (pause... wait... for the inevitable question)

"Oh, well what's for dinner?" (voice full of hope)

I usually do have some sort of plan before he calls, but occasionally I have no idea. This response is met with a deflated sounding"Oh well, we'll figure it out."

Nothing for him to look forward to for the remainder of the 20 min. drive home, which is why, I think, he calls in the first place.

On days when he's not working, he may ask "what's for dinner?" shortly after lunch. "How can you possibly be thinking about dinner!" I ask in wonder.

"I'm only asking because I know how much you love that question!" he'll say. It's a good thing I love him.

I was having one of those no clue days and I knew the phone would be ringing soon. As I pillaged though the refrigerator, I found a mango that really needed to be used. "Mango salsa!" I thought. I love mango salsa with a little jalapeno, red onion and avocado with fish or chicken, but I had pork tenderloin. I remembered a dish from Epicurious for a pork with mango salsa and a blackberry gastrique. This mango salsa is made with red onion, lime, and mint.

It pairs wonderfully with the raspberry gastrique. This recipe looks like it would be difficult, gastrique and all, but it's quite easy and comes together in about 30 min.

A little while later when I got "the call" I had an answer for the all important question!

Pork Tournedos with Blackberry Gastrique and Mango Salsa

Mango Salsa

Ingredients:

1 firm-ripe mango, pitted, peeled, and cut into 1/4-inch dice

2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest

1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves

In a bowl stir together salsa ingredients with salt to taste and let stand, covered, at room temperature. Salsa may be made 2 hours ahead and kept at room temperature, covered.
Makes about 1 cup.

Pork Tournedos and blackberry gastric

Ingredients

3/4 cup red-wine vinegar

3 tablespoons seedless blackberry preserves

1/4 teaspoon salt

six 1 1/2-inch-thick center-cut boneless pork loin chops (also called tournedos, about 6 ounces each)

freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Make gastrique:

In a small saucepan simmer vinegar until reduced to about 2 tablespoons, about 3 minutes. Whisk in preserves and salt, whisking until smooth, and keep warm, covered.
Season pork with pepper and salt. In a 12-inch heavy skillet melt butter over moderately high heat until foam subsides and sauté pork until golden, about 3 minutes on each side. Cook pork, covered, over moderate heat until just cooked through, about 5 minutes more.
Divide gastrique among 6 plates and top with pork and salsa.
Serves 6.

I used a pork tenderloin, cut into about 2" rounds. I flattened the pieces slightly with my hand, into relatively all the same shape and cooked as above.

I served it with wilted spinach and roasted sweet potato.