Food Lover's Odyssey

Tiramisu Cheesecake - A Delicious Italian American Combination

 

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I joined my brother and his family for their first trip to Italy recently as their unofficial tour guide.  My first duty was to introduce them to one of the greatest food pleasures in Italy, a daily dose of gelato.  Both my nieces’ favorite gelato flavor, hands down, was Tiramisu.  The girls had included it in their daily gelato scoops. You might say I'm a bad influence, but there are so many worse habits you can have than needing a daily fix of gelato, right?

 

They were so in love with the Tiramisu gelato that they asked me if I could make a Tiramisu cheesecake when we got back to the U.S.  Funny that they didn’t just ask me to make Tiramisu gelato for them.  Cheesecake is one of my specialties, and one of their favorite desserts, so I didn’t think twice about their request.  When one of my niece’s birthdays rolled around, I made her this cheesecake.  It actually matched the creamy texture and flavor of the gelato very well; the cake is just a little denser.  This could be the perfect Italian-American combination.  The famous desserts of each country in one. 

When making a traditional Tiramisu dessert, I use rum, coffee, and a little melted chocolate for soaking the ladyfingers.  In this recipe, I played with a few combinations of liquor and liqueur.  When I used rum in the cheesecake, the rum flavor disappeared after it baked. All you could taste was coffee, and I didn't want to make a coffee cheesecake, but a Tiramsu one. I prefer how the creamy Bailey’s and coffee-flavored Kahlua combine with the espresso powder. Neither flavor, liqueur or coffee, overshadowed the other in the cheesecake, similar to the way those flavors are balanced in Tiramisu.

 

 

 

 

 Tiramisu Cheesecake
(makes one 9-inch cake)

For the crust:
1 ½ cups ground graham crackers
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted

For the cheesecake:
2 ½ pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
3 egg yolks, at room temperature
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons Kahlua
1 tablespoon Bailey’s Irish Cream
4 teaspoons espresso coffee powder

¼ cup chocolate shavings, for the garnish
Sweetened whipped cream, for the garnish

 

Preheat oven to 375ºF and butter the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan

Mix together the cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter.  Press into the spring form pan, going up the side of the pan only 1/4 inch.  Bake 8 minutes.  Cool completely.

 

Decrease oven temperature to 325ºF

In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese until it’s smooth.  Add the sugar and mix together.  Add the eggs and yolks one at a time; mix each in before adding the next. Add the cornstarch and mix together. In a small bowl combine the Kahlua, Bailey’s and coffee powder and stir until the coffee powder has dissolved.  Add to the cream cheese mixture and mix together. 

Wrap two layers of aluminum foil around the sides of the spring form pan.  Pour the cheesecake filling into the pan on top of the cooled crust.  Bake in a water bath for 55-60 minutes.  The outer edges should be set and the center will still jiggle a little when you move it.  (The cake continues cooking after it’s removed from the oven.)  Cool for 30 minutes, then remove the spring form rim.  Cool completely, then place into the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, overnight is best. 

Right before serving, sprinkle the grated chocolate over the cheesecake and serve with whipped cream.  Buon Appetito!

 

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What is your favorite flavor of gelato? And, your favorite cheesecake?  Have you ever combined the two?

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Related Posts:

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Gianduja Nutella Cheesecake for World Nutella Day

Meyer Lemon Cheesecake and Recipe Sharing in Rome

Gianduja Budino and a Chocolate Pass in Turin

Torta Caprese - Flourless Chocolate Cake from Capri

Caramel Gelato and Favorite Gelaterie in Rome

Chocolate Eclairs: My Mom and Learning to Make Them

Gianduja and Nutella Cheesecake for World Nutella Day

  

  

It’s World Nutella Day.  Thanks to Michelle of Bleeding Espresso, Sara of Ms. Adventures in Italy and World Nutella Day who have proclaimed today World Nutella Day 2010 – a day to celebrate, get creative with, but most importantly EAT the chocolate-hazelnut sensation that is Nutella.

 

  

 

  

 

The first time Nutella touched my tongue I remember well.  It was in July 1997, at a pensione in Florence.  It was my first trip to Italy, and it was my first breakfast there.  We sat at a wobbly wooden table covered with red construction paper.  The owner flung a basket of day old bread on our table, plopped two cups of hot chocolate down, and tossed a dish at us with jams, honey and some little white packages with the words “Nutella.” 

 

  

  

 

Far from the welcome to Italy I had imagined; one of dark-haired, dark-eyed men blowing kisses at me from afar calling out "ciao bella", little round grandmas inviting me over for fresh baked brioche and introductions to their grandsons.  No, instead, I got stale bread and a waif-like, cigarette-scented waiter throwing food at me.

 

  

My friend, who had previously spent a semester in Italy, began squealing with excitement.  Completely clueless as to why this breakfast would make anyone happy, I thought she was still tipsy from all the wine we had drunk the night before.  I said, “What's wrong with you? It’s stale bread and jam.”  She said, “It’s Nuuuuuutelllllla!” She continued squealing and rambling, something along the lines of “better than sex” “God’s gift to the universe” blah, blah, blah.  Then, I tried it.  And, I understood her completely.  Yes, there I was, squealing with excitement, between laps of Nutella, along with her.

 

  

Definitely better than the welcome I had imagined; yes, God’s gift to the universe; and the other, well…I’ll leave that for you to judge.  Let’s just say, from then on no breakfast in Italy was complete without the chocolately-hazelnutty goodness to slather on top of some stale bread.  We stashed the remaining little packets in our backpacks, just in case they didn’t have Nutella at the next place, and headed out to climb the Duomo. 

 

  

Still one of my favorite ways of eating Nutella is on a stale slice of bread.  Today, however, I’ve dressed Nutella up a bit and used it in this Gianduja-Nutella Cheesecake with a Nutella Ganache Topping.  It’s sinfully creamy, sweet, having hints of nuttiness and just a little tanginess (from the cream cheese).  The topping of Nutella Ganache leaves a lasting Nutella taste to every bite.  I hope you make it and enjoy it as much as I did.

 

  

Thanks again to Michelle, Sara, and World Nutella Day for proclaiming today World Nutella Day 2010 and for bringing me back to that little pensione in Florence, my first morning in Italy, and my first taste of Nutella. 

 

 

 

  

Gianduja – Nutella Cheesecake with Nutella Ganache Topping

(makes one 9-inch cheesecake)

 

For the crust:

1 1/2 cups ground chocolate cookies

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

 

 

For the filling:

1 3/4 pounds (3 1/2 eight-ounce packages) cream cheese, room temperature

3/4 cup Nutella

3/4 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup heavy cream

9 ounces gianduja, melted

2 eggs, at room temperature

2 egg yolks, at room temperature

 

 

For the Nutella Ganache Topping:

8 ounces Nutella

3/4 cup heavy cream

 

  

About 1/2 cup toasted hazelnuts, chopped – for garnish

 

  

Preheat oven to 375ºF and butter the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan

 

  

Mix together the cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter.  Press into the spring form pan, going up the side of the pan no more than 1/4 inch.  Bake 8-10 minutes.  Cool completely.

 

  

Decrease oven temperature to 325ºF

 

  

In a stand mixer, cream the cream cheese and nutella until it’s smooth.  Add the sugar and mix together.  Add the vanilla extract and heavy cream and stir until combined.  Add the melted chocolate and mix together.  (It is important that the chocolate is not hot and the cream cheese mixture is at room temperature, so the chocolate blends in smoothly).  Add the eggs and yolks one at a time; mix each in before adding the next.  

 

  

Wrap two layers of aluminum foil around the sides of the spring form pan.  Pour the cheesecake filling into the pan on top of the cooled crust.  Bake in a water bath for 60-75 minutes.  The outer edges should be set and the center will still jiggle a little when you move it.  (The cake continues cooking after it’s removed from the oven.)  Cool for 30 minutes, then remove the spring form rim.  Cool completely, then place into the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, overnight is best. 

 

 

To make the Nutella Ganache, heat over low heat or a double boiler the Nutella and cream until the mixture has become one.  Cool for about 15 minutes (it should be easy to  spread but not runny) and spread onto the cooled cheesecake.  Garnish the edges with chopped hazelnuts.  Buon Appetito!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Related Posts:  

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History of Chocolate in Turin - Gianduja and Much More

 

Scenes from CioccolaTo - Chocolate Festival in Turin

 

Italy in Chocolate at Turin's CioccolaTo Festival

 

Gianduja Budino and a Chocolate Pass in Turin

 

Everyone Should Eataly

 

Tiramisu Cheesecake - A Delicious Italian-American Combination

 

Meyer Lemon Cheesecake

 

Meyer Lemon Cheesecake and Recipe Sharing in Rome

For a culinary traveler, food is always the number one topic when meeting locals and/or fellow travelers.  When I’m able to share favorite recipes with others, it is an added bonus.  This happened one evening in Rome, in an apartment overlooking the Campo dei Fiori.  Two newly-made friends from Rome and I had a potluck of both Italian and American flavors. 

In Stefania’s cozy and narrow kitchen, we cooked favorite dishes from our own countries.  Stefania made an appetizer of feta, tomatoes and oregano, Giancarlo made his version of Cozze Napoletane (Neapolitan-style mussels), and I made an American lemon cheesecake.  We helped each other and chatted while passing pans and ingredients, chopping garlic and herbs, sautéing, steaming, mixing, and even drinking a little wine in between the work.  Pans and utensils clinked, sauces simmered, and the scents from the cooking drifted and mingled together like our mixed-language conversation, bonding together flavors and friendships. 

We brought the dishes to the living room and dined while sitting on throw pillows.  We used crostini and our hands as utensils to eat the mussels.  Talk and wine flowed freely.  The dinner ended with each of us having a slice of lemon cheesecake and a shot of limoncello, made by Stefania’s mom.  Both had us feeling full and happy.  The food was unpretentious, casual, yet it was delicate, full of flavor, and satisfying.  It was one of my most memorable dining experiences in Rome.  I want to share each of the dishes with you, yes even Stefania’s mom’s homemade limoncello. 

 

Today, I’m sharing the lemon cheesecake.  When someone asks me what American dessert I like the best, I don’t take long to answer; it’s cheesecake or chocolate chip cookies.  Our cream cheese is best for making the dessert so creamy and dense.  I’ve tried using other cheeses, but nothing works as well as U.S. cream cheese.  The lemony flavor lightens it up, well just a bit.  Since lemons never seem to be out of season in Italy, I made a lemon cheesecake.  And, I was able to find Philadelphia brand cream cheese at the supermarket in Rome. 

This recipe uses Meyer lemons, (because I just picked well over 300 from our tree) but you can also use regular lemons.  I’ve added notes on adjusting the recipe for regular lemons below.  There are a few easy tricks to making this cheesecake perfect:  1) It’s important that the cream cheese is at room temperature before creaming it, or you may have lumpy instead of creamy cheesecake.  2) Cook the cheesecake in a water bath to help it bake more evenly and prevent cracking and browning on top.  3) Don’t overbake the cheesecake.  It should still jiggle slightly in the center when you remove it from the oven.  The cake continues cooking even after it’s removed and will set once it’s cooled.

I would love to hear from you on your culinary travel experiences.  What dish from your country do you most like to share with others?

  
Meyer Lemon Cheesecake

(makes one 10-inch cheesecake)

  

 

 

For the crust:

1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

7 tablespoons butter, melted

  

 

 

For the cheesecake:

2 1/2 pounds (1.14 kg) Cream Cheese, at room temperature

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

3 tablespoons lemon zest (from about 4 lemons)*

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/3 cup heavy cream

3 eggs

2 egg yolks

1/2 cup Meyer lemon juice*

  

 

 

About 1 cup lightly-sweetened whipped cream, optional for garnish

4 to 5 lemon slices, halved, optional for garnish

  

 

 

*If using regular lemons, reduce the zest to 2 tablespoons and the lemon juice to 1/3 cup.

  

 

 

Preheat oven to 375ºF and butter the bottom of a 10-inch spring form pan

  

 

 

Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter.  Press into the spring form pan, going up the side of the pan only 1/4 inch.  Bake about 8 minutes, until lightly browned.  Cool completely.

  

 

 

Decrease oven temperature to 325ºF

  

 

 

In a stand mixer, cream the cream cheese until it’s smooth.  Add the sugar and lemon zest and mix together.  Add the vanilla extract, cornstarch, and heavy cream and stir until combined.  Add the eggs and yolks one at a time; mix each in before adding the next.  Stir in the lemon juice.  Pour the cheesecake filling into the spring form pan on top of the cooled crust.  Bake in a water bath for 60-70 minutes.  The outer edges should be set and the center will still jiggle a little when you move it.  (The cake continues cooking after it’s removed from the oven.) 

  

 Cool for 15 minutes, then remove the spring form rim.  Cool completely, then place into the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, overnight is best.  You can garnish with the whipped cream and lemon slice, if you like.  The cheesecake also goes very well with lemon granita.  Enjoy!

  

Update:  To ensure that no water leaks into the cheesecake while it's baking, wrap aluminum foil around the outside of the spring form pan.  Don't fill the water bath until you've already placed the cheesecake in the oven, and only fill it to halfway up the side of the spring form pan.

  

  

Related Posts:

 

 

 

Gianduja and Nutella Cheesecake for World Nutella Day

Meyer Lemon Tart Inspired by Gerard Mulot Patisserie in Paris

Tiramisu Cheesecake - A Delicious Italian-American Combination

When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemon Granita

Journey Through the Pastries of Paris - Part 1