WHITE CHOCOLATE & RASPBERRY CHEESECAKE FOR TWO

If you are looking for a special dessert for two, this is it. This recipe has several steps, but they are all very easy and the final product is totally delicious. What a way to top off a romantic meal!!

Preheat your oven to 325 and line a mini-loaf pan (6" x 3" x 2") with foil. The foil will help you lift the baked cheesecake out of the pan after it is chilled, so make the foil ends long enough to grab on to. Spray with vegetable spray and set aside.

Make the raspberry sauce: In a sauce pan, heat up 1 cup of raspberries (I used frozen) and ¼ cup of white sugar. Bring to a simmer and mash the berries as they cook. When berries are all soft, thicken with a slurry of 1 tablespoon corn starch mixed with 1 tablespoon water. Stir until berries are nice a thick. Press through fine mesh strainer. Set aside.

Crust: Mix ½ cup graham cracker crumbs, 1 tablespoon white sugar and 1 tablespoon melted butter. When thoroughly mixed together, press into the bottom of the foil lined mini-loaf pan. Set aside.

Filling: Melt ¼ cup of white chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon cream and set aside. In a bowl, with an electric mixer, cream 3 ounces of room temperature cream cheese and 2 tablespoons sugar. When thoroughly creamed, add 1 egg white, ½ teaspoon vanilla and 2 teaspoons all purpose flour (don't over beat). Stir in melted white chocolate chips.

Pour half of the batter onto the crumb crust and top with half of the berry mixture. Top with the second half of the batter then decorate the top with the rest of the berry mixture. *see note

Water bath: Place the mini-loaf pan (with cheesecake in it) inside of a larger pan (I used a 9" cake pan) and pour very hot water into the larger pan, making sure that the hot water comes half way up on the sides of the mini-loaf pan.

Bake in a 325 oven for 28 to 33 minutes (my oven takes 33 minutes). The cheesecake is done when you gently tap the side of the pan and the cheesecake sort of jiggles (kind of like jello).

Cool for 30 minutes in the pan, then chill for at least 3 hours. To serve, lift the cheesecake out of the mini-loaf pan (using the foil "handles") then cut it into two pieces.

NOTE: You don't have to strain the seeds out of the raspberries if you don't want to. To decorate the top of the cheesecake, I spooned small amounts of the berrys in a random pattern, then ran the tip of a toothpick through the berries to make a design.

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ITALIAN SEASONING & A TIP

I use a lot of dry herbs and spices; they are convenient. However, there are some spices that I don't use all that often. For example, that little $3.99 jar of rubbed sage gets used for a single holiday and then languishes on my spice rack, only to be thrown away. Well, I've discovered the (bulk) dry herb and spice section of the health food isle. The spices are sold by the pound, so the big hand full of sweet basil I bought the other day was a whopping 45 cents. I am buying all of my dry herb and spices this way from now on. They are not only economical, but they are super fresh and are an excellent quality!!
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This recipe for Italian Seasoning is a far better blend than any ready-made jar that I've found so far. I hope you will try it.
3 tablespoons dry basil
3 tablespoons dry oregano
3 tablespoons dry parsley
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon fennel seed
1 teaspoon dry thyme
1 teaspoon dry rosemary
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
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Stir together thoroughly and break down the larger herbs (like the rosemary) with a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder (just don't grind it too fine).
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Store in airtight jar for up to six months.

NOTE: I wash out the glass jars that spices usually come in, and refill them with the bulk herbs and/or spices.

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Pizza Apne Desh Ka (Indian Style Pizza)

Today I have wonderful news to share with you all , as you all know my Bread Swirls was in contest at Manjulas kitchen n I won it....all because of you. Thanks a ton to all my blogger friends for your support as you spared some time to vote for me.Also won a giveaway at Akhilas blog.On this wonderful occasion I am going to share pizza from scratch with Indian style sauce n toppings. I used to prepare this version before blogging n shared with lot of friends n whoever tried it have fallen in love with it. I used to buy pizza base earlier but now I make it.I am 100% satisfied. Yesterday I made two pizzas one medium size n one pan size. My hubby like more crispy n I love little soft so I made accordingly.

This sauce is made with all Indian ingredients which suits our taste buds.It can be prepared quickly before making the pizza or store it for a couple of days.We always enjoy this version n hope you too.

Thank you once again for your love,support n encouragement.

Ingredients for Pizza sauce

• 1 cup chopped onions
• 2 cup chopped tomatos
• 1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped cilatro
• 1 tsp chopped chillies
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt to taste

Cooking Procedure

Heat oil in a pan ,add add onion ,garlic n chillis saute for a min then add bell pepper n fry for a min .Now add tomatos ,cilantro n cook till tomato become soft ,now add coriander powder, cumin powder,salt n ketchup n let it cook for one more min n switch off the flame n let it cool .After it cools make a coarse paste n keep aside (Note if ur tomatos r not juicy add 1/4 cup water after tomatos cook n before adding masala)

Ingredients for Topping

• 1 cup diced mushroom
• 1 cup diced cottage cheese(cut them to 1cm cube)
• 1 cup diced bell pepper(all colors)
• 1/2 cup sweet corn
• 1/2 tsp chill powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp chat masala
• 1 tbsp kasuri methi
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Mix all the above ingredient except oil and marinate them for 20 min. After 20 min heat oil in a pan ,add all these veggies n stir fry on high flame for 4 min n shift it to a plate

Ingredients for Pizza Dough

• 2 1/2 cup all purpose flour+tbsp for dusting
• 1 tbsp yeast
• 1 cup warm water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 3 tsp oilve oil + 1 tsp to coat the dough

In a big bowl add yeast,sugar,salt n warm water let it sit for 10 min. It will become foamy. Then add oil Then add flour slowly 1/2 cup at a time n stir with spatula. Then take it make it into a ball(It shpuld be little bit sticky than usual). Grease it with oil cover with a damp cloth n let it sit for 1 hr.

After a hour or till the dough become double.Take it out n punch it in the center to take all the air out.Again make the dough to a round shape let it sit for 30 min.

Pizza Assembly

After 30 min take the dough to a floured surface n divide the dough into 2 parts n with a rolling pin spread it into a circle to the size of the pan. shift it to pan and adjust according to that and press the dough toward the edges to give a nice crust.I prepared one medium size n one pan size pizza.let it rest for 10 min.

Preheat the oven to 400 with silicone sheet/or a pizza stone in the lower rack

Take the the pizza base n spread the pizza sauce on the pizza dough base ,spread the toppings and sprinkle cheese on top of it n apply oil to the edge with a brush.

Baking the Pizza

Bake the pizza for ten minutes after which remove from pan n shift it directly to the silicone baking sheet/pizza stone n increase the temperature to 450 F n bake for another 5 min. Your pizza is ready!! Serve warm after 10 min.

Note: Temperature may vary from oven to oven so make sure to keep looking at it. Once it starts to change color to light golden brown remove it.

To make pizza crispy you can keep for another min.

If you wish to thin crust pizza then you have use lesser dough or bigger pan. You can use any baking pan it need not be a pizza pan. I used pie pan for my pizza.

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Tags: Pizza , Indian Style Pizza

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