"Final Taste" - Grand Marnier Chocolate Cheesecake
Kate Stark #1 EXCERPT:
Marianne Rimaldi scooped a scant teaspoon of the Grand Marnier chocolate ganache and drizzled it atop the single bite of chocolate truffle cheesecake. The perfect final bite for the meal she was creating.
A glance at the competition clock.
Two minutes.
She plated three more desserts for the judges. The television cameras filming Kate’s Kitchen from Hell hovered close by—two on her, two on her competitor as the final seconds ticked away. One glass-eyed lens had an angle that showed her the cameraman wasn’t focused only on the food.
Precisely according to plan.
Marianne needed the win on America’s most popular cooking show, which meant winning over at least two judges. More than that, she lusted after Kate’s Kitchen “Blazing Knife” stamp of approval on her career, which required all three judges.
She’d made it through the three run-off contest episodes, one by the skin of her teeth. But now in the final? Winning was not enough. She lusted after that three-vote knife and the prestige that it came sheathed in. For a shot at that, she applied other…ingredients.
Note: There are two primary types of cheesecake: one made light and fluffy with yogurt or sour cream in the mix, and one dense and luscious. This is the latter type. Almost fudgy! Yum!
Serves: 16
Active time: 20 minutes prep / Cook time: 30-40 minutes / Total time: 8 hours (w/ cooling)
Crust: (Crumble and mix, then press firmly into the base of a 9-10” spring-form pan)
Note: Whizzing everything together in a food processor works best. Or you can pound the crackers in a bowl with the base of a can then mix it all up with your fingers.
· Crumbs from 16 graham crackers
· 4 oz. butter, just melted
· zest of 1 orange, minced
· 1 Tbsp. honey
· 1 Tbsp. flour
Filling:
· 16 oz. cream cheese, room temp.
· 1/2 c. granulated sugar
· 1/2 c. brown sugar
· 4 eggs
· 1 tsp. vanilla
· 3 oz. Grand Marnier liqueur
· 8 oz. dark chocolate, grated (or melted in a bowl over simmering water)
Top Glaze:
· On heat:
o 3/4 c. orange juice
o 2 Tbsp. cornstarch
· Off heat:
o 2 Tbsp. honey
o 1 Tbsp. Grand Marnier
Garnish:
· Zest of 1 orange, coarsely chopped
· 1/4 c. toasted hazelnuts, macadamia, or even pistachio nuts, finely chopped
The Cheesecake:
1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Throw a cookie sheet on a lower rack in case the spring-form leaks.
2. Combine Filling ingredients in food processor (3-4, 15-second pulses) or blender (or whisk hard in a large bowl) until smooth and fluffy.
3. Pour over crust.
4. Bake for 25 minutes, then wiggle the pan to observe the amount of wobble in middle. Continue in 5-minute increments until center is just set (about 40 minutes total). Some small cracks may form along the edges. It will continue to cook a little after you take it out of the oven, so don’t cook until hard set.
5. Fully cool on a wire rack on the counter, about 1 hour. Note: Don’t worry if the center is a little dipped when you remove from the oven, the cake edges will settle as it cools.
The Topping:
6. In a small saucepan, add the cornstarch.
7. While whisking, dribble in the orange juice, adding slowly at first to avoid lumps.
8. Place on medium-low heat.
9. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until thick and glossy (7-10 minutes). Warning: it changes really quickly. Do not stop whisking or watching.
10. Remove from heat and whisk in honey and Grand Marnier. Keep whisking.
11. Pour over the top of the cooled cake still in the spring-form pan. To get an even layer, pour in circles from the center out. To spread out to the edges, you can spin the pan on a smooth counter to use centrifugal force.
12. Chill in refrigerator at least 6 hours, uncovered.
The Serving:
13. Run a wet knife around the rim to loosen the topping from the spring-form before removing. If necessary, you can run a knife (plastic for non-stick pans) around the chocolate layer to free it from the pan, being careful not to mar the cake.
14. Add garnish.
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| My first-ever from-scratch cheesecake! We made it special for my birthday. | A slice of heaven. We discovered quickly that this 1/8th slice is actually enough to serve 2! Very rich. |