Showing posts with label cheesecake. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cheesecake. Show all posts

Wednesday, 25 March 2009

Tartiflette-French potatoe & cheese gratin


If you're on a diet, don't even read this recipe. Most traditional recipes in the Alpine region are based on cheese, lardons & potatoes. "Low-fat" is not a concept here. Then again winters are cold here, even spring is cold here, so rich heavy food is necessary for survival.

A variation of this dish is croziflette (pictured here), which is made with small square pasta called crozets.

WARNING: I'm not sure you can easily or cheaply find the cheese, Reblochon, in the US. If you do manage to find it, most likely it's been pasteurized, which here in the Savoy regions is anathema. Reblochon is made from raw milk "lait cru", or it cannot be called Reblochon ("fromage pour tartiflette" or Tartiflette cheese is the term for the substitute stuff). Mom has found it at Trader Joe's & she's been known to substitute with another firm cheese that melts easily, so experiment!

1 Reblochon (firm, not too mushy)
5 large potatoes
1 large onion
1 pint crème fraiche (or heavy cream)
2 cups lardons (or bacon) [unless your vegetarian]
1 glass fruity white wine
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to hot temperature.
Slice onions thinly in half rings. Sauté in a bit of butter with the lardons.
Peel potatoes, slice thinly, add to onions & lardons.
Stir occasionaly so it doesn't stick. Season to taste.
When potatoes start to become transparent, add the wine.
Once wine has cooked down, add the crème fraiche. Stir well.
Remove from heat and transfer into a pyrex.
Slice Reblochon in half through middle (you should have two circles). place on top of the potatoe mixture with the crust upwards.
Bake in oven until the cheese is crispy.
Serve with a green salad, as this is too rich a dish to be accompanied by anything else. Usually I serve the same local wine I used to cook with (for example my neighbor's award winning Roussette de Frangy).

Monday, 16 March 2009

Cheesecake















Classic cheesecake, let the basic recipe inspire you! Usually I serve this with a fruit topping. Sometimes I add chocolate chips, caramel swirls.... inside or on top! When I have it, I also add some aromatic liquor like the French poire or Italian Marsala (about 2 tbsps).


TIP: Make this cake the day before!

Crust
1 cup graham crackers
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 tbsps brown sugar
5 tbsps melted butter or margarine

Filling
Rind 2 lemons
24 oz cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
5 egg

Topping
1 1/2 cups sour cream
2 tbsps sugar
1/2 tbsps vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°.
Grease bottom & sides of a spring form pan and/or line with wax paper.
Mix together ingredients for crust. Pat in crumbs on bottom & sides of pan.
For filling, mix cream cheese & grated lemon rinds into a large bowl.
Beat until creamy.
Add sugar, eggs & salt.
Beat until smooth.
Pour into pan.
Bake until set, about 45 min.
Remove from oven to let cool 10 minutes.
Prepare topping by beating ingredients until dissolved.
Spread onto cooled cake.
Return to oven 10 minutes.
Remove & let cool, then refrigerate at least several hours before serving.

Before serving, decorate with chocolate shavings or fruit topping.