Dulce and Brown Sugar Cheesecake

Dulce and Brown Sugar Cheesecake 

Earlier this month, a group of food bloggers gathered in Northern California at the invitation of culinary goddess, Teri Turner of No Crumbs Left. We spent a week in the picturesque Napa Valley at the famed Calistoga Ranch where we cooked, tasted and sipped some of California's finest. (To see the full recap of our week, go here.) At the end, feeling thoroughly pampered and with hearts knit by this memorable time of communal living, someone came up with the idea of doing a "Virtual Feast" to bring us all together on New Year's Eve.


So from Washington, California, North Carolina and Toronto, we've prepared our favorite dishes. Cheesecake has always been a favorite of mine, and when I received a bag of Dulcey 32% White Chocolate from Valrhona, my head started spinning with the possibilities. This chocolate is fabulous to eat straight out of the bag - not gonna lie - but when made into a ganache for the brown sugar cheesecake, it's completely irresistible.  I'm excited to share this recipe with you, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

May the New Year bring us all a bit closer to the people we love and the things which bring us joy. I'm lifting my dreams a little higher for 2017 and am hoping for a year filled with more travel and adventures. How about you?

Virtual Potluck Participants

Bazaar Lazarr, Displaced Housewife, Cook by Color, Husbands that Cook, What Do You Crave, Rainy Day Bites, The Lemon Apron, Abi's Farmhouse Kitchen, No Crumbs Left.

Teri Turner and fellow food bloggers at Calistoga Ranch. Photo by George Lange. Prop board by Erickson Woodworks.    

Happy New Year!

Dulce and Brown Sugar Cheesecake 

Dulce and Brown Sugar Cheesecake

Crust

1 1/2 cups crushed chocolate wafers or ginger snaps
1/8 cup white sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Cheesecake filling

3 - 8 oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Dulce Ganache

4 ounces Valrhona Dulcey 32% White Chocolate, chopped *
1/4 cup heavy cream

Process

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, mix crushed wafers, sugar and butter.  Press into the bottom and partially up sides of an 8 - inch springform pan.  Place in freezer for about 10 minutes, then bake in oven for 10 minutes.  Remove from oven and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese and sugar for several minutes until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for about a minute after each addition. Scrape the bowl, add the vanilla, and beat for about one more minute.  Pour over crust in pan. Smooth the top.  Bake for about 55 - 60 minutes, until center has only a very subtle wobble. Turn off oven and crack oven door slightly for one hour.  Remove cheesecake and cool on rack to room temperature.

For the ganache:

Place chocolate and cream together in a small saucepan and heat on low to medium low for just a few minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat when chocolate is about 75% melted. Continue to stir until all of it has melted and the mixture is smooth. Pour over cheesecake, reserving about 1/4 cup for serving. (You can pour ganache while cheesecake is still warm.)

When cheesecake has cooled completely, remove from springform pan and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight.

To Serve:Cut cheesecake into slices and serve with an extra swirl of dulce ganache.

Note:  Warm the reserved ganache in the microwave for about 10 seconds and stir. Repeat, if necessary, until it reaches spreading consistency.

* Valrhona Chocolate may be ordered through Amazon. If you don't have Dulce 32% White Chocolate, this ganache may also be made with 70% dark chocolate.