Inside My Kitchen

*Where mediocre always refers to the review (and hopefully not the book) TM

I hope you read this review of Lori Longbotham’s Luscious Chocolate Desserts in time for Valentines Day, being that February is the month-o-chocolate-goodness. I hope you not only read this review, but that you get your hands on this cookbook. I’ve owned this book since September or October of 2004, and have been thinking about it a lot lately. I might be itching to crack it open and try a new recipe out of here.

The pictures are great, the set up of the book is nice. The chapters are divided into cakes; pies, tarts and a cheesecake; chocolate special favorites; puddings, custards and a souffle; cookies; frozen chocolate desserts; confections and a drink; and sauces. I enjoyed the section just before the recipes, which gave a history of chocolate, talked about the forms chocolate comes in, the best way to taste chocolate, basics of baking with chocolate, and more. It was informative and fun to read.

The mini-gripe I have about the recipe section: many recipes that are 2 pages (the book is a small 7 X 8 1/2 inches) are set up so that you must turn a page mid-cooking. Lots of white space (that’s not white, but you get the point) is used in this book, and it’s a pain to cook while turning pages when it’s a problem that could’ve been easily averted.

Only one recipe that I’ve tried (so far) has been a miss - the Chocolatiest Crinkles on page 105. I much prefer the recipe I’ve been using for chocolate crinkles that to this new one. The recipe in the book wasn’t even fair.

The hit of the book is a grand slam, and now one of my standby desserts for company. The Killer Chocolate Cheesecake is thick and rich and smooth and divine. It is easy to make and quite impressive, as well. The text by the book says that “gorgeous and tall, this is a beautiful, bountiful, and glamorous dessert.” I agree.

Killer Chocolate Cheesecake

Crust
one 9 ounce package chocolate wafers, broken into large pieces
6 T unsalted butter, melted

Filling
1 lb bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup unsalted butter
2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
three 8 ounce packages cream cheese, room temp
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups sour cream, room temp
2 t pure vanilla extract

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 9 inch springform pan and wrap the outside tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil. Have a roasting pan ready, and put a kettle of water on to boil for the water bath.

To make the crust: pulse the chocolate wafers in a food processor until finally ground. With the motor running, slowly add the butter, and process just until blended. Press the mixture onto the bottom of the pan.

Bake the crust for 8 to 10 minutes, until set. Let it cool on a wire rack.

To make the filling: Melt the chocolate with teh butter in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of about 1 1/2 inches of nearly simmering water, whisking until smooth. Whisk in the cocoa powder. Remove the bowl fromthe heat and let the mixture cool to room temp.

Beat the cream cheese and sugar with an electic mixer, beginning on low speed and increasing to medium-high, in a medium deep bowl until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the salt. Beat in the chocolate mixture just until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl again.

Transfer the filling to the springform pan. Set the pan in the roasting pan, place it in the oven, and carefully pour in enough boiling water to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the center is almost set but still slightly jiggly; do not overbake - the cheesecake will firm as it cools. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and let the cheesecake cool in the water bath for 15 minutes.

Remove the springform pan from the water bath and let cool completely on a wire rack, then remove the foil and refrigerate the cheesecake, loosely covered, until thoroughly chilled, at least 12 hours, or overnight.

To serve, let the cheesecake stand at room temperature for 20 minutes. Remove the pan sides, smooth the sides of the cheesecake with a table knfe, and cut into wedges.