First Slice Phobia

First Slice Phobia: the fear of being the first to cut into a dessert. Most often exhibited at social gatherings as referenced in the following case study...

A holiday pot-luck party provided the perfect opportunity to make the full recipe of Low and Lush Chocolate Cheesecake, complete with fancy piped whipped cream, but when it came time for dessert the guests were eating everything but! Why wasn't anyone trying my tempting and (if I do say so myself) gorgeous dessert? Personally I couldn't wait to try it so I did. And then the hoarde descended.

What is it in human nature that makes people so reluctant to take the first slice? If we didn't want you to eat it, it would have been just as easy to ditch the tights and high heeled boots to stay at home in my jammies, the television with a fork! Not that there's anything wrong with that.

My Life and Brownies- A Parable

It's little over a year into this blog and I'm starting to examine the journey I'm on, this evolution from film crew member to baker and back again.

I'm about to wax poetic here for a few minutes so in case I forget to mention it, this week's TWD was all about Espresso Cheesecake Brownies. Feel free to bail out on this diatribe at any time and check out the blogroll for more baking and less yapping.

What started out as hobby/fantasy is actually turning into something really real you know? The end of a great show followed months of unemployment, freeing me up for baking classes, leading to an observation day with a local bakery, and then a real live, although part time and extremely casual, baking gig. And just when I thought I was out of the loop, my phone starts ringing with freelance tv jobs. After weeks of fantasizing about a scenario just like this one it is actually happening and even typing this makes me worry I may jinx myself.

Can my two lives really be exist simultaneously? Financial and health insurance obligations being met while still having time for culinary pursuits? Two halves of one life meeting in the middle and swirling around each other like... (wait for it) Espresso Cheesecake and Brownie?

Hey, you knew it was coming and I gave you an out.

I don't know how long this harmony will last but I'm eating it up enjoying every last bite.

Dreamy Cherry Vanilla Cheesecakes

The April 2009 challenge is hosted by Jenny from Jenny Bakes. She has chosen Abbey's Infamous Cheesecake as the challenge.

I have made cheesecake twice before and all I can say about this month's Daring Bakers Challenge is...this recipe is THE BOMB!
Seriously rich and creamy but not at all heavy, thank goodness I made mini cakelettes because I would be at the gym for the rest of the week! I stuck with Abby's Infamous Recipe original style, only substituting vanilla bean for vanilla resulting in the cutest little speckles all over these fabulous cheesecakes. Keeping it old school, I made a Dark Cherry coulis to go on top. It is all I can do not to go to fridge right now and make quick work of the five remaining cakelettes.
All in good time...


Dark Cherry Coulis
2 1/2 cups frozen, pitted dark cherries
3/4 cup sugar
Juice from 1/2 a meyer lemon

For Slurry
Dissolve 1 tbsp corn starch in 1 tbsp water

Combine cherries, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan and simmer over medium heat until sugar dissolves, approx. 10 minutes. Strain the coulis through a fine mesh sieve, reserving the whole cherries. To thicken the coulis, pour liquid back into saucepan and bring to a boil. Whisk in slurry and bring to a boil again. Once thickened, turn off the heat and let cool before using.
Top chilled cheesecakes with a spoonful of coulis and additional reserved cherries to garnish.

Sweet Endings- Cheesecake Tartlettes

While I'm a big fan of holidays in general, New Years Eve has never endeared itself to me. Instead of running around town in uncomfortable shoes, setting all my hopes for the new year on one night of revelry, I prefer to ring in 2009 from my living room with a glass of champagne and this year, a slice of cheesecake. With an eye on my upcoming resolutions (eat healthy, lose weight, ugh so boring) I opted out of a the tall portion of Dorie's Tall and Creamy Cheescake and made tarlettes instead. This one is Meyer Lemon.

Here's Blueberry.
And with the leftover batter, I threw in a Raspberry Ramekin version.

So after you're done raising your glass, how about raising a spoon, and wishing everyone a sweet and happy new year.