Mini Pumpkin and Chocolate Cheesecakes

In honor of Halloween, I had to bake something black and orange with a pumpkin flavor of course... So here come these delicious mini cheesecakes...

I used the back of my pestle to press the crumbs into a crust.  Just a trick and plenty of treats... Enjoy...

1 cup chocolate wafer crumbs

3 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

½ cup packed brown sugar

¼ teaspoon and 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

A pinch of freshly grated cinnamon

8 ounces light cream cheese, at room temperature

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

½ cup canned pumpkin puree

½ cup light sour cream

1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar

¼ teaspoon vanilla extra

            Preheat the oven to 350ºF.  In a medium bowl, mix together the chocolate wafer crumbs, sugar, and melted butter.  Line mini muffin tins with paper cups.  Fill each cup with a rounded teaspoon of the crumbs.  Press into a flat disk.

In a small bowl, mix ½ cup of the brown sugar and spices together.  In the bowl a food processor fitted with the metal blade, blend the cream cheese until smooth.  Add the spiced brown sugar and mix until very smooth.  Add the eggs and process well.  Add the pumpkin puree and mix again.

Transfer this mixture to a 2-cup pyrex glass measuring cup.  Carefully pour the filling into each muffin cup on top of the crust, filling each almost to the top.

Bake for 15 minutes.

            In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream, 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar and vanilla.

            Remove the cheesecakes from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 325ºF.

            Spread a small amount of the sour cream mixture over each cheesecake and return to the oven for 5 minutes.

            Let cool slightly and remove from the pan.  Cool completely and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for 1 month.

Makes 36.

Cauliflower and Broccoli Salad

This is my healthier version of an American classic.  There is no way I was going to use Miracle Whip in my salad.  Maybe give me another 10 years and I might reach for the jar but I am not over this one yet... So just a touch of mayonnaise and fresh lemon juice would do the trick for me.  With this hot California weather, this is a perfect salad for the season.  The broccoli, cauliflower and grapes are reminiscent of the fall but it is still a very refreshing dish for this heat wave... May be you can take it to the beach and enjoy the California sunshine...

 

½ bunch broccoli, chopped

½ bunch cauliflower, chopped

1 cup halved red grapes

½ cup raisins, chopped

1/3 cup salted and roasted sunflower seeds

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1/3 cup light mayonnaise

1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice

            Place the first six ingredients in a large bowl.  Mix together the mayonnaise and lemon juice.  Toss the lemon mayonnaise with the rest of the ingredients.  Mix well and refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

Swiss Chard, Apple and Almond Tart

This all started when I was a kid in St-Martin-de-Vesubie, a small village in the French Alps.  My mom and I spent every August there hiking, relaxing by the pond and spending time with friends that I only saw once a year.  I loved that place when I was growing up.  My mom would let me have Nutella whenever I wanted and she was delighted I liked the local Swiss chard tart.  It was one of those rare occasions when she didn't have to push green vegetables on me.  A similar dish she liked to prepare for me was the zucchini tart which originated from there as well but that's another blog...

So when I started to grow Swiss chard in my own backyard some 30 years later, it was time to try to replicate the infamous Swiss chard tart...  After several tries, I came up with this recipe.  I think the combination of the apple and almond with the chard brings me back to St-Martin...

The recipe is for a 9-inch tart pan but like you can tell from the pictures, I've made it into a rectangular pan and also several smaller tart pans.  I hope you enjoy it and I hope that one day, it will bring you to this charming little village in the South of France... They also make a terrific blueberry tart, black nougat and rustic bread.

Swiss Chard, Apple and Almond Tart
Serves 6

1 cup flour

6 ½ tablespoons cold unsalted butter

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoons sugar

3 tablespoons cold water

¾ pound red Swiss chard, stems removed

¼ cup currants or raisins

2 tablespoons brandy or dark rum

1 Golden Delicious or Gala apple, peeled and diced into ½-inch pieces

1 tablespoon honey

6 tablespoons brown sugar

½ cup ground almonds

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 egg

Powdered sugar

            In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, butter and salt.  Pulse until the butter resembles pea-size pieces.  With the machine running, add the water.  Transfer the mixture to a tea towel and press the dough together with the tea towel.  Lightly flour the tea towel and roll the dough to a 10- to 11-inch circle.  Transfer to a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom.  Press the dough into the pan to form a crust.  Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork and refrigerate until needed.

            Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Boil the red chard leaves for 2 minutes.  Drain well and squeeze dry.  Chop the red chard and place into a medium bowl. 

Place the currants in a 1-cup Pyrex measurer.  Add the brandy and microwave for 1 minute.  Let stand for 5 minutes.

In a 2-cup Pyrex measurer, place the apple with the honey.  Place in the microwave and

cook for 3 minutes.

Place the currants, apples and the remaining ingredients in the bowl with the chard.  Mix well and transfer to the pie crust.

Bake at 375ºF. for 45 minutes.  Cool to room temperature and sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.