Happy Valentine's Day!
The day of love for some and the day of Hallmark for others.... To me I treat it as a day of love. I like the idea of extra special time with a loved one. Cards, candy and flowers are really not important to us (however I never complain about getting flowers), but we love to make a special dinner together on Valentine's Day.
Tonight, we are having steaks with blue cheese and sauteed mushrooms, Baked Potatoes, Seared Scallops, Shrimp Scampi and a salad (gotta get the greens in). I was a planning on making this beauty from Smitten Kitchen last night, but I am not feeling great. However, much to my surprise, Ron is going to try and tackle it this afternoon. I love how willing he is to jump into the kitchen because it takes the pressure off. I have a tendency to hog our meal preparations, but Ron also knows his way around the kitchen.
I thought this cheesecake was perfect for today because it is rich chocolaty and delicious. I got the recipe from my co-worker and it is delicious. The original recipe also calls for chocolate curls on top of the cake, but I was not feeling that ambitious.
Hope you all have a great Valentine's Day!
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Ingredients
Crust:
18 Oreos
2 Tbl butter, melted
Filling:
3 8 oz packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
7 Tbl sugar
1 Tbl all purpose flour
2 large eggs
1/4 cup + 2 Tbl sour cream
1/4 cup + 2 Tbl Baileys Irish Cream liqueur
1 tsp vanilla extract
Glaze:
1/2 cup whipping cream
9 oz semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
for crust:
Pre-heat
oven to 375 degrees.
for
crust: Place the Oreo cookies in a gallon-sized zip-top plastic bag,
and crush finely with a rolling pin (you could also use a food processor). Pour
in melted butter, and mix until crumbs are coated. Press into the bottom of a
10-inch springform pan. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely.
for cheesecake:
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees.
Using a stand or electric hand mixer beat cream cheese and
sugar till smooth. Beat in the flour. Add in the eggs one at a
time, beating until combines. Mix in the remaining ingredients.
Pour filling into the crust. Bake 10 minutes and reduce
oven temperature to 250 degrees. Bake cheesecake till set, about 50
minutes. Remove from oven and cool for ten minutes and chill
overnight.
for glaze (prepare about an hour before service):
Bring cream to a slow simmer in a sauce pan. Reduce heat to
low and add chocolate. Stir till smooth. Cool glaze till it is
lukewarm.
Remove cheesecake from springform. Pour glaze over the
cheesecake and smooth with a spatula. Refrigerate at least 30
minutes to allow the glaze to set before serving.