Basically, we are talking about a butter cookie crust, filled with rich bittersweet ganache, topped with a cloud of delicately flavored lime cheesecake, and then embellished with the ripest of ripe raspberries, with a quick raspberry coulis poured over the top.

Did I say over the top?

This was better than good. The main problem was that the kitchen was hot and by the time I got the pictures taken the slice I was shooting had begun to look a little droopy. After all it was a good 95 degrees in the kitchen, and I was losing light fast.

I know this tart sounds complex but I swear to you it will go together almost as fast as instant pudding. The shell is the only thing that is baked, the rest of it is no cook. It would be best if you made it enough ahead of time that you could chill it thoroughly before serving.

The lime flavor is not distinct in this. If you are thinking of key lime pie or something it isn’t at all like that. With only a tablespoon or so of lime juice in the cheese mixture it is more of a delicate nuance, a little snap at the end of the swallow. It cuts the sweet intensity of the bittersweet chocolate nicely.

You can add a little non-GMO cornstarch to the coulis and microwave it to make it more of a glaze if you like. I preferred it to be just sweetened and blended. I think it tastes fresher.

Black Bottom Raspberry Lime Cheesecake Tart

Shell:

• 1 cup organic white flour
• 1/3 cup sugar
• pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup ice water, more or less
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla

1. Mix flour, sugar, and salt.
2. Rub in the butter with your fingers, until the flour looks like coarse crumbs.
3. Mix water and vanilla and add it to the flour mixture until it forms a soft dough. Chill for about 3o minutes for easier handling.
4. Roll out on a floured surface and fit carefully into a tart or pie pan. Prick with a fork.
5. Bake at 375 until crisp, about 15-20 minutes.

Ganache:

• 8 oz bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream

1. Bring cream to a simmer.
2. Remove from heat and stir in chocolate.
3. Stir until melted and smooth.
4. Pour into crust.
5. Chill until firm.

Cheesecake:

• 16 oz cream cheese (full fat), room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Juice of one lime (1-2 tbs)
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1. Beat cream cheese and sugar until well mixed.
2. Add cream, lime and vanilla
3. Beat until light and creamy, scarping down bowl often. You may need to add a little more cream to get the right consistancy.
4. Taste to adjust flavor.
5. Spoon over the ganache layer in the tart and return to refrigerator

Raspberry Topping:

• 1 pt raspberries
• Sugar to taste

1. Rinse raspberries gently.
2. Pick out the softest berries, and the not perfect berries to use for coulis.
3. Sprinkle the remaining berries over the top of the cheesecake layer.
4. Place the berries you set aside for coulis in a blender and add about 2 tbs water. Blend until a puree is formed.
5. Add sugar to taste. Blend until smooth
6. Thin with a little more water if necessary. Spoon over tart.

Makes 8-10 servings.

images:marye audet

Post from: Baking Delights

I like combining colors and texture and flavors. Iceburg lettuce rarely comes into our home because it is just bland and tasteless. My favorite salad base is either the Organic Baby Herbs or the Organic Baby Spinach. I don’t mind the other mixes either, it is just those are my favorites.

Once I have the base I like to add whatever is interesting, on sale or smells wonderful in the produce aisle. I just start picking up things. The other day I picked up this combination:

The base is the baby herb salad. I added strawberries, blackberries, Tuscan melon, cubed Fontina cheese, and a raspberry key lime dressing that is amazing.

Serve this with baguette or black olive bread. A light, crunchy dessert like  lemon-snaps will compliment this perfectly adding both crunch and repeating the flavor of the citrus.

Tuscan melon is very sweet, similar to a cantaloupe. You can use any combination of fruit in this dish, whatever is ripe and looks the best.

Raspberry Key Lime Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup Raspberry jam (seedless is best)
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons Key lime juice (you can buy the juice in the juice aisle, or use Key limes when they are in season.)
• 1/4 cup sugar
• Pulp from 1/4 inch of vanilla  bean
• 2 Tbs walnut oil
• Pinch of salt

1. Make this one day ahead if possible so the vanilla will have time to infuse the dressing.
2. Warm jam in the microwave until it is a liquid. Add the rest of the ingredients and shake well.
3. Store in refrigerator

Yield: about one cup

image:Marye Audet

Post from: Baking Delights

This is a moist, dense, chewy dark chocolate brownie with a smoky-spicy-sweet raspberry swirl.  I would say it is a great combination but it is more than that. It is just so good.

The chipotle makes these have a little “bite ya back” in the after taste and the smoke flavor adds an interesting layer of flavor.  It sort of deepens the chocolate and gives it an extra layer and depth of flavor.Fischer and Weiser Raspberry Chipotle Sauce is available at Tom Thumb/Safeway stores and I think my daughter says it is available at Wal-mart.  It is a little expensive (6.95) but the sauce is so good, and you use so little of it, that it is worth it.

Raspberry Chipotle Intense Chocolate Brownies

• 3/4 c unsalted butter-melted
• 1 1/2 c sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 c flour
• 1/2 c cocoa (the darkest you can find…do not substitute baking chocolate)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup Fischer and Wieser Raspberry Chipotle

1. Cream sugar, melted butter until smooth. Add eggs one at a time. beat well. add flavorings.
2. Quickly stir in dry ingredients.
3. Spread into a greased 9 inch pan.
4. Using the back of a small spoon, drag it through the top of the batter to make indentations.  Think of it as dry creekbeds.
5. Now fill the indentations with the raspberry chipotle and swirl lightly
6. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Leave slightly under done.

Image: Marye Audet

Post from: Baking Delights

Well, it is almost October. Most people are just now starting to think about the giant candy holiday coming up and it won’t occur to them that Christmas and Thanksgiving are just around the corner until Nov 5th or 6th. By then they will have to scramble to get done and we will be finishing up!

I suggest that you start picking up flour and sugar as you see it on sale now. You know that you are going to be using more than usual over the next few months so keep it in stock in large quantities. These are delicious little bars with the exotic and buttery taste of pistachio. Beautiful presented on a tray of assorted cookies, or a few wrapped in transparent cellophane and tied with colorful ribbon as gifts.

Pistachio Ribbon Bars
Makes about 36

1/2 pound unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2-2/3 cup raspberry jam
1 cup pistachios, chopped

Preheat oven to 325 F.
Combine butter, sugar and egg; beat until thoroughly blended.
Stir in flour and salt.
Spread one-half of dough into 9 inch square pan.
Bake 10 minutes; remove from oven.
Spread jam to within 1/2 inch of edge.
Add pistachios to remaining dough.
Drop by spoonfuls over jam to cover.
Bake 35 minutes until top is golden brown;
cool.
Drizzle with melted bittersweet chocolate.
Cut into squares.
Makes 2 dozen small squares

You can freeze these two ways. A) after you have baked the first layer add the jam and remaining dough (with pistachios added), cover and freeze. Thaw and bake when needed.
or
B) freeze baked.

Don’t forget!!

Post from: Baking Delights