In the Beginning There Was NY Cheesecake & Chocolate {Recipe}

Don’t tell Anissa, but I am not really a writer. Well, not a good one at least. You can imagine my surprise when she asked me to contribute a monthly cooking column to Aiming Low. I guess we really do “aim low” around here! Seriously though, to say that I am beyond honored to be here surrounded by all of these amazing writers and bloggers would be an understatement.

What I am good at is cooking {and eating}. I love spending time in the kitchen. I am an avid cookbook collector and I spend way too much time watching the Food Network. Besides the extra pounds gained from all of the cooking and eating, I have also gained lots of culinary tips and tricks over the years. However, the most valuable lesson I have learned is to not be afraid. Accept the fact that you’re going to make mistakes in the kitchen. That you are inevitably going to flub a recipe or that you’re going to do everything right and the results will scare the kids. In the words of Julia Child, “The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude.” And, that’s why I decided to call my monthly cooking column “Channeling Your Inner Julia” because she was never afraid to make mistakes in the kitchen. In fact, Julia was known to embrace them. That should be everyone’s motto in the kitchen. Just have fun with it. If your dish turns out badly, don’t apologize. Serve it anyway. Pretend it’s supposed to be that way. If it’s so bad that your dog won’t even eat it, then there’s always the trash can or even better…invite over a bunch of people you don’t like and serve it to them. No matter what, it’s OK. At least you tried and you probably learned what not to do next time.

Now that we’ve all got our best “what-the-hell” attitude going on, let’s do some cooking. I spent a long time trying to figure out which recipe to share with you guys first. I decided to start with dessert. It’s the best part of any meal, right? It is also where my cooking journey really began. I was eight years old when my mom’s friend Lola showed me how to make her luscious cheesecake and today I am going to show you. If I could make it at eight years old, I know that even the ultimate Aiming Lowers can do it too! You won’t have to hit up any specialty food stores or drive around town searching for fancy schmancy ingredients either. You’ll be able to find everything you need at your local grocery store. Easy peasy!

NY Cheesecake with an Orange Twist

Ingredients:

Crust
* 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
* 1/2 cup butter {or 1 stick}, melted
* 2 tablespoons sugar

Filling
* 4 packages (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened
* 1 1/3 cups sugar
* 2 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
* 3 eggs
* 1 cup sour cream
* zest of one orange

Directions:
In small bowl toss together graham crumbs, melted butter and 2 tablespoons sugar.

Using the back of a spoon or your fingers, press the crumb mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of 9-inch springform pan.

Chill the prepared crust in the freezer while you prepare the filling.

In large mixing bowl beat cream cheese on medium speed of electric mixer until fluffy.

Important Tip! Cream cheese must be at room temperature and very soft before you beat it. If you forgot to let it come to room temperature, you can just pop it in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute.

Add sugar…

cornstarch…

vanilla…

and orange zest.

Beat until well combined and fluffy. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl as you mix. Then, add eggs one at a time.

Important Tip! Only add one egg at a time and beat until just combined after each addition. The reason for this is to limit the amount of air beat into the mixture. If you over mix at this point, your cheesecake will crack.

Stir in sour cream by hand.

Pour the filling into the crust.

Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes and then lower oven temperature to 250°F and bake for an additional 60 minutes or until center is almost set. It will still be a little wobbly. Leave the cheesecake to cool in the oven with the oven door slightly open for 15 minutes.

Tip! Once the cheesecake has cooled for 15 minutes in the oven, run a sharp knife around the edge of the cheesecake to loosen cake from the sides of the pan. This prevents the cheesecake from pulling and cracking while it cools.

Remove cheesecake from the oven and allow to completely cool on a wire rack. Then, transfer to the refrigerator to cool overnight before serving.

At this point, you can stop. You’ve made a lovely cheesecake that can be served as is or topped with simple fresh fruit. It is delicious as is. BUT, if you really want to impress your guinea pigs guests and look like a total rockstar in the kitchen, you can make these gorgeous chocolate leaves.

These chocolate leaves always garner lots of “ooohs and aaaahs”,  but the truth is that they are super simple to make. I KNOW what you’re thinking. “Chocolate leaves??? Yeah right!” I swear you can make these. It is so easy my husband can do it. If he can do it, you can do it. I pinky promise. In fact, I love you guys so much already that I conned my husband to show you how easy the whole thing really is. I had to promise him all sorts of  “favors” to agree to it so now you must.watch.the.video.

Chocolate Leaves Tutorial

What You’ll Need:

Artificial leaves {non-toxic and washed}
Semi-sweet chocolate chips
Non stick spray

First, melt about 2 cups of semi-sweet chocolate chips in a small bowl. I use the microwave to melt chocolate. Put it in for 1 minute. Stir. Then, microwave in 30 second intervals until chocolate is completely melted. Usually takes me 1 1/2 minutes total, but the time will vary depending on how much chocolate, microwave model, etc. Once the chocolate is melted, very lightly spray the BACK of the leaves with non-stick spray. I usually give the leaves one quick spray and then rub it all over the back of the leaves using my hand.

Then, using a small offset spatula spread melted chocolate onto the BACK of each leaf. Don’t be shy…really slather the chocolate on or else it will be too thin and your leaves will break as you unmold them.

Place the leaves onto wax or parchment paper and refrigerate for a few hours to let the chocolate really harden. Once you’re ready to unmold, gently peel back the leaf from the chocolate. Make sure you begin from the stem end.

Make sure to make some extra chocolate leaves because chances are some will break during the unmolding process. It always happens to me!