Here is the strawberry cheesecake that I happened to make. Everyone needs a good cheesecake recipe. There’s something about cheesecake that just makes people feel better. Did you know that the women in the show, “The Golden Girls”, consumed over 100 cheesecakes during the show’s 7 year run? I wonder if their cheesecake tasted anything like mine. I have made my cheesecake many times for co-workers and friends and everyone agrees that it is one of the best cheesecakes they have ever had. I chose to share my really simple cheesecake recipe with you all. I like to add strawberry sauce to mine, but be creative…add whatever you like!

Here’s what you will need:

• 1 1/4 cups of graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup of sugar
• 1/3 cup of butter or margarine, melted (be bad, use the butter..everything tastes better with butter!)
• 3 (8oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
• 1 (14oz) can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup of lemon juice
• 3 eggs

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and butter in a mixing bowl. Mmmm butter. I can feel like thighs getting bigger just by looking at this picture.

After you mix the crust, press it onto the bottom of an ungreased 9 inch springform pan. If you don’t have a springform pan, don’t fret. You can use a regular round 9 inch baking pan. The only thing a springform pan does is let you take the cheesecake (or whatever you are making) out of the pan with ease, without taking the chance of messing up the cheesecake. When you are done, refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.

In a mixing bowl (or a stand mixer), beat the cream cheese until it is light and fluffy.

Gradually beat in the condensed milk and then add the lemon juice. If you want to experiment, add a little lemon or orange zest. Yum yum!

After everything is mixed, add the eggs and beat the mix on low until it is just combined.

Pour the mixture into the pan. It looks sooooo creamy and good! Bake the cheesecake at 300° F for 45-50 minutes. 49 seemed to work just fine for me. You want the center to be almost set, which means it jiggles a little still.

Let it cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes then carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake from the sides. You don’t want the cake to cool to the edges of the pan or it will rip when you pull the pan off. Cool the cheesecake for an hour longer and refrigerate overnight while it is still in the pan. This cake needs to be stored in the fridge, so make room. As you can see, I added a strawberry sauce into mine.

How to make the strawberry sauce:

In a blender combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 (10oz) packages of frozen sweetened strawberries that have been thawed.  Process the strawberries and cornstarch until it is smooth. Pour the mixture into a sauce pan and bring to a boil, letting it boil for 2 minutes afterward. Let the sauce cool before mixing it into the cake.

Oh boy was this ever so tasty! This chocolate torte has just the right amount of pomegranate flavor, which just accents the chocolate perfectly. Who knew the two would taste so well together? I sure had no idea!

Here’s what you will need:

For the cake

• 4 Tbs of unsalted butter,cut into 4 piece. You will also need more for coating the baking pan
• 6oz of bittersweet chocolate (I used unsweetened and added sugar to it, because it was all I had)
• 3 large eggs,yolks and whites separated
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
• 1/2 cup of flour

For the pomegranate jelly

• 1 pink lady or braeburn apple
• 1-1/2 cups of pure pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs of sugar
• 12 fresh or frozen cranberries (I did not add these..apparently it’s impossible to find them in the middle of March!)

For the Glaze

• 6oz of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 6 Tbs of unsalted butter,cut into 6 pieces
• 1 Tbs of honey or light corn syrup
• pinch of table salt

First you need to line the bottom of your pan (9×2 inch) with parchment paper and grease the sides pretty well with butter. Position your rack in the center of your oven and place it at 350°F.

Next chop up your chocolate,except for 2 ounces. Go ahead an finely grate up that 2 oz and set it aside for later.

In a double boiler melt your butter, chocolate and 3 Tbs of water. Stir often and when everything is melted, set it aside.

While you’re waiting for the chocolate to melt, have one  of these. I am addicted..seriously..some one help me over here!

In a large bowl whisk the egg yolks, 1/2 cup of sugar and salt until the yolks thicken. They will also appear lighter in color. In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar at medium-high speed to soft peaks, about 2 minutes. With the motor running, gradually add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, beating to stiff peaks, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Now whisk the warm chocolate and flour into the yolk mixture.

With a rubber spatula, fold a quarter of the egg whites into the mix. Add the rest of the egg white and the 2 Tbs of grated chocolate and fold together.

Pour the batter into your prepped pan and spread it evenly. Bake it for roughly 25 minutes, or until a toothpick close to the center comes out smudged with just a few crumbs sticking to it.

Cool the cake on the rack, in the pan, for 10 minutes. After the 10 minutes are up, run a knife around the edges to loosen the cake. Invert the cake to another cooling rack and let it cool completely. If your cake is crusty on the outside and cracks a little, don’t worry..it’s normal!

Grate enough of the apple to make 3/4 cup (I used more, since I lacked cranberries). In a medium saucepan bring the pomegranate juice, apple,cranberries and sugar to  a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for about 10 minutes. The jelly should be slightly thick and the apple should soften. Uncover and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir occasionally at first and then more often towards the end, or until the liquid has evaporated. To be honest, mine didn’t thicken like it was supposed to…so I cheated and added a Tb of corn starch to thicken it up. Shh!

Press the mixture through a small mesh strainer until you extracted all the juice from the pulp. You can discard the pulp.

Yummy yummy jelly! Go ahead and take a small taste…it’s heavenly!

Before spreading the jelly on, transfer it to cardboard circle or tart pan. It makes it so much easier to transfer! Brush away any crumbs from the top before adding the jelly. Scrap the jelly on top of the cake and spread it evenly on the surface. Now let the cake set for 1 hour.

Now it’s time to make the glaze. Place the chocolate, butter, honey and salt in a heatproof bowl and set it in a skillet of barely simmering water. This is a better way to melt chocolate, in my opinion. I think it just works better and faster than a double boiler. Gently stir the mixture until everything is melted and it is smooth. Remove it from heat and add 2 Tbs of cool water. Now cool it to room temperature without stirring it.

Now set the cake back on a cooling rack with something underneath it to catch the chocolate. It’s better than cleaning up chocolate when you are done. Rewarm the glaze to 90°F in a skillet of barely simmering water. The glaze should have the consistency of thick, pourable cream. Scrape all the glaze on top of the cake and spread it all over the top and the sides. To keep it looking nice and shiny, try to use as few strokes as possible. Let the cake sit on the rack for10 more minutes before transferring it to a cake plate. Let this cake set for 15 to 30 minutes before serving.

Don’t mind that bright blinding white! It’s just the picture trying to draw you in to get you to bake this. It was delicious and yummy! This isn’t the best recipe for beginning bakers or people who are short on time. There is a lot of work that goes into it, but it’s worth it! A must for any chocolate and/or pomegranate fan!