White Chocolate - Blueberry Cheesecake

Even though I’d usually eat a bar of dark, rather than white chocolate, in baked goods and desserts I definitely prefer the taste of the white one. White chocolate pairs especially well with different berries; the lightly tart flavor of the fruit balances its sweetness and makes the chocolate less bland.

White chocolate-blueberry cheesecake is certainly one of the best cheesecakes I’ve ever eaten. It’s very moist, wet, in fact, and incredibly creamy, with well balanced sweetness and delicate white chocolate flavor. I’ve found recipe for the white chocolate–blueberry cheesecake in Gardening Life magazine, but I didn’t follow it exactly*

I used wild blueberries here, but regular blueberries will do as well.

White Chocolate-blueberry Cheesecake

FOR THE CRUST:
100 g Petit Beurre biscuits
80 g butter, melted

FOR THE FILLING:
3 packages 375-g fresh cheese (Liberté old style cottage cheese or quark)
1 cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 vanilla bean
4 eggs
8 oz (225 g) white chocolate
½ cup blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C)
2. Line an 9-inch springform pan with aluminum foil
3. Crush the biscuits in a food processor. Mix with melted butter and press into prepared pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Set aside.
4. Increase oven temperature to 450 °F (230 °C)
5. Split the vanilla bean lengthways, scrape out the seeds. Mix with the cheese. Set aside.
6. Melt the white chocolate in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water
7. Using an electric mixer, beat the cheese until very smooth. Add the sugar and salt and beat until well combined.
8. Beat in eggs, adding one at a time and scraping the sides as needed until the mixture is smooth.
9. Mix in white chocolate. Fold in blueberries.
10. Spoon the cheese mixture onto the prepared crust. Bake on the bottom rack of oven for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 210 F (100 °C) and continue to bake for 1 hour. When done, the cheesecake should be mostly solid around the edges but still jiggle a little in the center when you shake the pan.
11. Immediately run a thin knife around the edge of the cake.
12. Cool the cake in the oven with the door ajar for 1 hour.
13. Remove from oven and chill overnight in the fridge.

* The original recipe uses graham cracker crumbs for the crust, and cream cheese and vanilla extract in the filling.

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Recipe in Polish:
Sernik z białą czekoladą i jagodami

Poppy Seed Tartlets with Cherry Tomatoes

This is one of my favorite tartlet recipes. What is special about them, is the addition of poppy seeds to the crust. The poppy seeds give the tartlets incredible flavor, which goes perfectly with the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes. Besides, baked in muffins pans, these tartlets look absolutely adorable!!! The recipe has been adapted from Sarah Banbery's “Tarts” cookbook.

Notes to the recipe : The original recipe called for cheddar cheese. I used Edam cheese in place of cheddar as it’s easier to obtain in Poland. Use what’s more convenient for you. You can also use cream cheese or quark instead of ricotta cheese in this recipe.

Poppy Seed Tartlets with Cherry Tomatoes

For the crust:
225 g all purpose flour
pinch of salt
100 g cold butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
2-3 tbsp iced water

For the filling:
24 cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
25 g butter
25 g all purpose flour
270 ml milk
salt
pepper
50 g cheddar cheese, grated
100 g ricotta cheese
fresh basil leaves

1. Grease 12 muffin cups.
   
2. Sift the flour and salt into a large bowl.
   
3. Add the butter and rub together with your fingertips until crumbly.
4. Add poppy seeds, iced water and form a dough ball.
5. Roll out the pastry on lightly floured surface and cut out twelve circles ( 5 inches each).
6. Transfer to muffin pan, pressing down gently.
7. Cover with parchment paper and fill with a layer of dried beans.
8. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before baking.
9. Preheat the oven to 390 F (200 C).
10. Remove the tartlets from the fridge and bake for 10 minutes.
11. Take out of the oven, remove the beans and parchment paper and set aside.
12. Place the tomatoes on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and bake for about 5 minutes.
13. Melt the butter in a small saucepan, add the flour and stir until combined.
    
14. Add milk, little by little, stirring thoroughly to avoid lumps.
    
15. Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens.
    
16. Season with salt and pepper.
17. Add the cheddar cheese and stir to combine.
18. Stir in ricotta cheese.
19. Place two cherry tomatoes into each tartlet. Top with 1-2 tbsp béchamel sauce. Bake for 15 minutes.
20. Garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve.

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Przepis po polsku:
Makowe tartaletki z pomidorkami koktajlowymi

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

I’d been asked to make a cheesecake for a family feast. I wanted to make something different from traditional heavy cheesecakes we usually eat in Poland. I opted for a White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake. Combining raspberries and white chocolate always tastes heavenly. So, does in this cake. The sweetness and mildness of white chocolate balance perfectly with the tartness of the raspberries. The only thing I would change is the crust which turned out rather tough. I think it would work out better without white chocolate addition. I’ll try that next time.

The recipe originally comes from The Australian Women's Weekly 'Cheesecakes, Pavlovas & Trifles' but I’ve found it translated into Polish on Galeria Potraw which is my favorite Polish food forum.

Some minor changes I’ve made to the recipe:
1. I added vanilla sugar to the cheese.
2. I substituted digestive biscuits with Petit Beurre ones (they’re easier to obtain in Poland).
3. I baked my cake for about 60-70 minutes instead of 90 minutes as the recipe says.

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

FOR THE CRUST:
200 g digestive biscuits
90 g white chocolate
80 g unsalted butter

FOR THE FILLING:
½ cup cream (30% fat)
200 g white chocolate
250 g mascarpone cheese
250 g quark cheese
¼ cup caster sugar
1 pouch vanilla sugar
3 eggs
2 egg whites
250 g raspberries

Line the bottom of 23 cm springform pan with aluminum foil. Using a food processor or blender, process the biscuits to fine crumbs. Melt the chocolate and butter together over low heat, stirring constantly. Combine with the crumbs. Press into the bottom of the springform pan with the back of a spoon. Put into the fridge for about half an hour to set.

Preheat the oven to 160C (320F).

Put the cream in a heavy-bottomed pan. Bring to boil over low heat, stirring constantly. Break the chocolate into little pieces and add to the cream. Stir with a spoon until the chocolate and cream are smooth and the chocolate is melted. Set aside to cool slightly.

Beat together the mascarpone cheese, quark cheese, sugar and vanilla sugar until smooth, then add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the chocolate mixture beating until well-combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites to sniff peaks then fold into cheese mixture.

Pour the cheese filling into the chilled biscuit base. Gently press 250g of the raspberries into surface. Bake for 1-1 ½ hours. Cool in oven with door ajar. Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Przepis po polsku:
Sernik z białą czekoladą i malinami