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Title: Chocolate Mint Cheesecake with Fresh Berry Syrup
Categories: Cheesecake Chocolate American
Yield: 1 Cake
| CRUST | ||
| 1 1/2 | c | Chocolate wafer crumbs |
| 1/4 | c | Sugar |
| 2 | tb | (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature |
| FILLING | ||
| 2 | lb | Cream cheese |
| 1 3/4 | c | Sugar |
| 5 | lg | Eggs |
| 2 | lg | Egg yolks |
| 2 | ts | Vanilla extract |
| 1/4 | c | Chopped fresh chocolate mint |
| FRESH BERRY SYRUP | ||
| 2 | pt | Fresh raspberries or berries of choice, washed and picked |
| 1/2 | c | Water |
| 3/4 | c | Sugar, or more as needed |
Chocolate mint, a special variety of mint, is my favorite variety for baking. When crumbled in your hand and sniffed, it reminds you of chocolate peppermint patties. The Shakers used to grow five varieties of mint: peppermint, mountain, lemon, chocolate and spearmint.
I've used this mint to flavor ice creams, dessert sauces, puddings, and now cheesecake. This particular recipe pays tribute to Eldress Bertha Lindsay, who throughout her entire life performed jobs such as stripping the chocolate mint for drying, a harvest tradition of the Shakers for more than 200 years.
To Make The Crust
1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Combine the wafer crumbs, sugar and butter in a small bowl. Using your hands, combine the mixture, then press evenly into the bottom of a lightly buttered 10-inch springform pan. Refrigerate, covered, until needed.
To Make The Filling
3. In a large bowl, mix the cream cheese and sugar with an electric blender on low speed until no lumps remain. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, scraping down the bowl after each addition. Blend in the vanilla and mint. Let the batter rest for 30 minutes, covered, in the refrigerator.
4. Strain the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 1 1/4 hours, or until the cake is firm. Turn off the oven, leave the oven door ajar, and allow the cheesecake to sit in the oven for 1 more hour. Remove the cheesecake and cool completely on a wire rack. Unmold the cheesecake and serve with Fresh Berry Syrup, preferably made with raspberries.
Fresh Berry Syrup
1. In a saucepan, combine the berries, water and 3/4 cup sugar to start with, and mash with a spoon. Heat the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently, then lower the heat and simmer for approximately 10 minutes.
2. Adjust the sweetness to taste and strain the mixture. Cool completely. Refrigerate, covered until needed, up to 5 days.
Makes appoximately 1 1/2 cups syrup.
(In the back of the book was a section on sources of hard to find ingredients used in the recipes. Chocolate mint can be obtained from: Nichols Garden Nursery, 1190 N. Pacific Highway, Albany, Oregon 97321. They have a free catalog. ROTHSTEIN)
Source: "The Shaker Kitchen" by Jeffrey S. Paige, published by Clarkson N. Potter 1994, ISBN 0-517-58838-2
Typed by Manny Rothstein 4/98
From: Manny Rothstein Date: 04-06-98 (17:03) The Once And Future Legend (1) Cooking
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