Don’t you love company? And the chance having people over for a meal gives to cook something you wouldn’t normally cook? Also, the excuse you have to get the troops assembled to tidy up when they would normally ignore the mess? I love all of it. Afterwards, I always remark to myself that dinner guests should be invited over more often.
This past Sunday we had new friends over and I made something exciting. I tried a new recipe for cheesecake. I had two packages of cream cheese left over from Christmas baking and knew I would have difficulty finding a use for them. So, making a cheesecake was the perfect solution because it’s a rare exception to the cream cheese baking ban in our home.
My inspiration came from the Hershey’s 100th Anniversary cookbook in a dessert named “Chocolate Lover’s Cheesecake.” It featured a chocolate cheesecake center combined with crunchy semi-sweet chocolate chips. On the top was a sour cream layer. I did alter the crust by adding 1/3 cup of finely chopped pecans. So, if you don’t care for pecans, you can omit them without worry. We really enjoyed it, although I found the chocolate chips a bit too plentiful. When I mentioned this to my husband, he assured me that they were “just right” for him. It was a delicious, decadent dessert meant for sharing and not eating all by yourself!
Because of the above mentioned benefits to this aspiring cook, then, (and because Curt rarely reads my blog,) I’ll go ahead and boldly make an invitation to dinner to any of you living in our area (or who are willing to make the trip!) It’ll help me keep the house cleaner and the cuisine far more interesting!
Chocolate Lover’s Cheesecake from Hershey’s 100th Anniversary cookbook
Graham Crust (recipe follows)
2 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1/2 cup cocoa
2 tsp vanilla, divided
2 eggs
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup sour cream
Prepare graham crust. Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixer bowl on medium speed, beat cream cheese, 3/4 cups sugar, cocoa and 1 tsp vanilla until smooth. Add eggs; beat until blended. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour into prepared crust. Bake 20 minutes. Remove from oven to wire rack; cool 15 minutes.
Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees. In small bowl, stir together sour cream, remaining 2 tbsp sugar and remaining 1 tsp vanilla; stir until smooth. Spread over baked filling. Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven to wire rack. With a knife, immediately loosen the cake from side of pan. Cool completely; remove side of pan. Refrigerate several hours or until cold. Cover, refrigerate leftover cheesecake. 10 to 12 servings.
Graham Crust adapted from crust in Hershey’s 100th Anniversary cookbook
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
1/3 cup butter, melted
In medium bowl, stir together ingredients. Press mixture onto bottom and halfway up side of 9-inch springform pan.
