Toffee Crunch Caramel Cheesecake?

[KimKelly]

I'm thinking of making this for a NY Eve Party tomorrow, and I was wondering if anyone else has made it? It is from the cover of the January BA magazine and looks wonderful. I just usually never experiment with things when I take them somewhere and am a little nervous bringing an unreviewed "product"! Thanks!
Kim

[funnybone]

I'm planning on making this too, but it will only be for us. I'm sure it is delicious, as all the BA cover dessert recipes I have tried are/were. I'm the type to experiment and I wouldn't hesitate to make it and take it without trying. I'd say go ahead - give it a try. But if you are not comfortable with that, then I hope someone else chimes in. I know this recipe was discussed on another thread, but I don't think anyone had made it.

[funnybone]

Here's the link it was discussed in and where I posted the recipe.

http://community.cookinglight.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=68033&highlight=toffee+crunch

[scudgal]

Just wanted to say go for it! I made it for Christmas dessert and loved it. I served it with roasted pears (as the recipe mentioned that the restaurant that originally served it did)and it was an elegant, and delicious dessert!

[funnybone]

Thanks for the review, scudgal! I'm looking forward to it. :D

[greatcook]

I have been debating different desserts for my New Years dinner party too, and as much as I would love to make something yummy like the cheesecake, I think I will keep it easy and light with strawberries, a bowl of sour cream and a bowl of brown sugar. It is so much fun to dip!!

[Beth]

We wanted to make this for Christmas Eve, but plans kept changing I we decided we could make it for another occassion when time was not so crunched. I would have no hesitation in making it.

[Middydd]

Originally posted by scudgal
Just wanted to say go for it! I made it for Christmas dessert and loved it. I served it with roasted pears (as the recipe mentioned that the restaurant that originally served it did)and it was an elegant, and delicious dessert!

How did you roast the pears? Just cut them up and put on a baking sheet? What temperature?

Thanks, Leslie.

[scudgal]

I modified a recipe for roasted pears that I found on the web to this:

ROASTED PEARS
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 firm-ripe Bosc pears, halved lengthwise and cored
1/2 cup or more dry red wine
1 1/2 T (to taste) honey
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (edited to reduce amt of cinnamon) to taste


Preheat oven to 400°F. Melt butter in an 8-inch square glass baking dish in middle of oven, about 3 minutes. Mix wine,cinnamon and honey to dissolve honey. Arrange pears, cut sides down, in 1 layer in butter and pour wine over them - then roast in middle of oven until tender, about 20 minutes, basting with wine every 5 mins or so. If wine mixture evaporates, add more wine.

[Middydd]

That sounds fabulous!!! Thanks for posting the recipe, I especially like the addition of red wine.

[scudgal]

that it took much longer than 20 minutes for the pears to soften because my pears were very hard and not ripe to begin with. But they came out great - and looked very nice served alongside the cheesecake. I sliced them partially through to the stem (left stems on) and then fanned them out on the plate. Also served creme chantille (soft whipped cream) next to the pears. I have to say it was a lovely dessert presentation and tasted pretty good too!

[Middydd]

Oh my gosh!! What a lovely idea for presentation, thanks again for letting me know about the cooking time and the fanning idea.

I'm getting really excited about making this cake...and serving it...and eating it!!

[cher48603]

Just the name of the cheesecake makes my mouth water.:D

[scudgal]

FYI - I think I used less than 1 tsp cinnamon - probably much less - but just mix the wine, honey and cinnamon to your taste. Hope you enjoy the recipe, we did!!

[KimKelly]

Thanks everyone! I went out and got all the ingredients today... except I have my own toffee recipe that I'm going to put on top. I'm going to put it all together this morning, and I'll report back tomorrow! Happy New Year everyone, have a safe and fun evening.

Kim

[Middydd]

Kim, does your toffee recipe have nuts in it? I guess all toffee has nuts in it?

I read the ingredients on Skor bars and they have almonds so I have to figure out an alternate topping since one guest is nut allergic.

I've got some Lindt chocolate with caramel crunch in it. Might use that but toffee would be nice.

[funnybone]

I went to 3 stores yesterday and could not find gingersnap cookies or any ginger cookies of any kind. :( I guess it must be that time of year. :rolleyes: I could make my own, but it's too late now. I'll just have to put off this cake until my birthday on the 9th. Hope yours turns out delicious, KimKelly and Middydd.

[Middydd]

Well, my grocery store had lots of ginger snaps and I made the ginger crust. But, while in the baking aisle, I almost changed it to a chocolate wafer crust to go with the chocolate in the topping.

Can you get chocolate wafers or chocolate wafer crumbs?

[funnybone]

Originally posted by Middydd
Can you get chocolate wafers or chocolate wafer crumbs?

I can, but I want to follow the recipe as is, otherwise it's no longer THAT recipe, but another cheesecake. I know I can get a pack of gingersnaps in Costco, but I won't be going until Monday.

[Middydd]

I pulled the cake out of the springform pan awhile ago and tasted the cheesecake and crust crumb bits left on the edges of the pan. The gingersnap crust is just right, I'm glad I didn't switch to a chocolate crust after all.

It sounded like a good idea, but...

[KimKelly]

Here's my toffee, it's from Fine Cooking two years ago. Yes, I think all toffee has nuts.... I guess it's usually used as the coating to the toffee. But I think you could do just the "hard" part, the "Brittle" and crumble that over the top. You could even put the chocolate on and just omit the nuts! This is my biggest Christmas hit.

Toffee-Chocolate Candy

6 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped
6 oz bittersweet chocolte, chopped
8 oz (1 cup) unsalted butter
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup finely chopped toasted pecans

Combine the two chocolates and set aside. In a heavy saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer, cook the butter, sugar, water, corn syrup, and salt over medium heat. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves; then stir gently and only occasionally as the mixture approaches 300°F (this will take about 18 - 20 minutes), remove the pan from the heat, carefully add the vanilla, and stir it in. With a heatproof rubber spatula, scrape the mixture into a metal baking pan. Tilt the pan until the toffee covers the bottom of the pan evenly. Let cool for 2 minutes. Sprinkle with the chopped chocolate and let it melt for a few minutes. Smooth the chocolate with a spatula and sprinkle on the pecans. Let cool completely and then break or chop into pieces. May refrigerate to speed cooling.

My Notes:
I use Almond Meal from TJ's for the nuts.
I usually don't let it cool for a whole 2 minutes before covering with the chocolate.... too impatient!
I have made with all semisweet chocolate and all bittersweet chocolate and both are good.

[Middydd]

Kim, thanks for posting. I just remembered that my friend can eat macadamia nuts so I could make the toffee with them.

[KimKelly]

I've actually made this with Macadamias and it was really good! Careful not to grind them too much... I ground them into butter once when I wasn't paying attenting:o !!!

My cake looks wonderful and I'm making the caramel topping as I type. My chill time is getting shorter and shorter. Hopefully dessert will be late!

Kim

[KimKelly]

Excellent! Our cheesecake was met with much excitement and proclaimed delicious! It took a bit more time to make than I had anticipated, but the caramel sauce topped with the crunched toffee was a big hit, the guests were all trying to get some to take home and I only got to bring home one tiny, smooshed little piece. But I will savor every last little bit today!

Happy New Year!
Kim

[Middydd]

Mine didn't turn out so well. I seldom make cheesecakes so didn't really know when it was done. It was a little on the liquidy side in the centre when we cut into it. It tasted great, I'll try making it again sometime, just I should have baked it a little longer.

Oh well...live and learn.

[funnybone]

Bumping this up as I did make this for my Birthday last weekend. It was DELICIOUS!!! The caramel topping, toffee bits, crust - everything - just went so well together. I will definitely make it again.

Middydd, sorry yours didn't turn out to well, mine set up perfectly. My pan was 9 1/2" so it was ready 5 minutes early. Did you boil your water before adding it to the "bath"? I always make sure mine is boiling, and not just hot, because I think it helps the cake set up better.

[TerriAb]

I saw the title to this and thought "I'm going to make this for my birthday next week," so I'm glad that others make their own birthday cakes, too!

[funnybone]

Originally posted by TerriAb
I saw the title to this and thought "I'm going to make this for my birthday next week," so I'm glad that others make their own birthday cakes, too!

If I don't, nobody else will. :D (My mom lives 500 miles away).

[Middydd]

Originally posted by funnybone

Middydd, sorry yours didn't turn out to well, mine set up perfectly. My pan was 9 1/2" so it was ready 5 minutes early. Did you boil your water before adding it to the "bath"? I always make sure mine is boiling, and not just hot, because I think it helps the cake set up better.

funnybone, thanks so much for posting. I didn't know you had to use hot water, let alone boiling! I just used cold from the tap, that certainly explains why it needed a little longer to set.

Hmmm...you just never know when some tip you offer on the board will make the difference in a recipe's success for someone. The boiling water will certainly make a big difference the next time we make it.

[funnybone]

Originally posted by Middydd


funnybone, thanks so much for posting. I didn't know you had to use hot water, let alone boiling! I just used cold from the tap, that certainly explains why it needed a little longer to set.



If I remember correctly, the recipe said hot, but I saw someone use boiling water before on a cooking show, so I've always figured that was the way to go. Since I started using baths for cheesecake, they always turn out perfect. I just boil the water in the kettle and the take it to the oven where the cheesecake is already in the other pan so I don't spill it on myself. :o

[Middydd]

I reread the recipe, both my husband and I, who were making the recipe together, missed the word "hot". Oooopss!!

[KimKelly]

Originally posted by funnybone


I just boil the water in the kettle and the take it to the oven where the cheesecake is already in the other pan so I don't spill it on myself. :o

I did something like this once when I had a glass pyrex pan in the oven on the shelf over the top of my cheesecake. I had originally filled the pyrex pan with water and checked on it about 45 minutes into the cooking to find it had all evaporated. I simply filled a container with water from the tap and poured it into the pyrex pan. About 5 seconds after filling it I heard this loud "crack" sound and watched at the glass pyrex shattered into my beautiful chocolate chip cheesecake...! Note: never pour cold water into baking hot pyrex glass!:o

Kim