Who is ready to toast tonight!? I’m procrastinating from writing my New Year’s resolution and speech, instead have been using the remaining shard of vacation to binge-marathon-watch Harry Potter, and also I have been futzing around in the kitchen whipping together butter and sugar and cinnamon and espresso liqueur and finding all the sequin-bedazzled clothing items in my possession to don to the Midcity Ball tonight!
I’ve been enjoying Southern Living’s Party Cookbook by Elizabeth Heiskell which is a remake of a 1970s classic. There are tips for how to toast, which are appreciated this New Year’s Eve. I’m particularly excited about hacking their She-Crab Soup recipe. The photography in the cookbook is gorgeous.
Always a good idea for party planners to be mindful of guests who may have allergies and food intolerances!
For those with dairy allergies, I’ve discovered a delicious ice cream to suit your lactose-intolerant fancy! Reveri is plant-based vegan ice cream that actually tastes good! I prefer the chocolate, myself. Such a righteous way to start the new year!
Another title on the shelf I’d been meaning to enjoy is The Cheesecake Bible Second Edition by George Geary, with recipes for three hundred different types of cheesecakes. For tonight, for extra pep to get us to midnight, an espresso delight.
Coffee Liqueur Cheesecake
Adapted from The Cheesecake Bible Second Edition by George Geary
Crust
1 ½ cups chocolate cookie crumbs*
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 tsp instant espresso powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
Filling
1 lb cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 cup sour cream
3 large eggs, room temp
¼ cup coffee liqueur (I used Tia Maria)
2 TB unsalted butter, melted
Decoration
Coffee-Flavored Syrup **
Make the crust by combining all the ingredients in a bowl. Press into the bottom of a cheesecake pan (9 inch) or a springform pan with 3-inch sides. Freeze for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
To make the filling, beat cream cheese and sugar until very smooth, about 3 min. Mix in salt and sour cream, then add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl. Mix in liqueur and melted butter. Pour into frozen crust, smooth out to the sides of the pan. Bake until top is light brown and center has only a slight jiggle, about 40-50 minutes. Let cool in pan on wire rack for 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving.
*For the cookie crumbs, you could use any store-bought cookie, but here is a recipe if you want to make your own. (Note, these are not great for-eating cookies.) This recipe makes about 3 cups (which is about two crusts worth).
Cappuccino Cookie Crumbs
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temp
1 tbsp espresso powder
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 ¾ cup all purpose flour
¼ tsp salt.
In a mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Then add egg, and espresso powder. Then cocoa powder, flour, salt and mix until combined. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350, roll into balls and smoosh flat with the palms of your hand on parchment paper. Bake 18-20 minutes, let cool completely on baking sheets for 10 min, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely. Make into crumbs by putting in food processor.
**Coffee Flavored Syrup
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup water
¼ cup coffee flavored liqueur
In saucepan bring sugar and water to rapid boil. Boil until sugar is dissolved, 5-8 min. Remove from heat and stir in liqueur. Let cool, drizzle over cheese cake! I also used chocolate covered coffee beans.
Delicious and SO creamy!
Thumbprint Cheese Wafers with Pecans
Adapted from Southern Living’s Party Cookbook by Elizabeth Heiskell
2 ¼ cups flour
8 oz sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup salted butter, cut into 1 inch pieces and softened
1 1/3 cups finely chopped pecans
Hot pepper jelly PRN
Pulse the flour, cheese and butter in a food processor until dough forms. Shape tablespoons of dough into 1 inch balls and roll each in chopped pecans.
Place the balls on baking sheets lined with parchment. Press a thumb in the center of each to make an indentation.
Chill for 30 minutes prior to baking. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Bake in batches for 15-18 minutes until golden brown. I had to recreate the indentations when they came out of the oven. Cool on wire racks for 30 minutes, and spoon about a tsp of jelly into each indentation.
We had such a wonderful and meaningful New Year’s celebration in the neighborhood. We made toasts to tradition, bearing in mind the wisdom of Harriet Monroe who in 1913 cautioned “tradition ceases to be of use the moment its walls are strong enough to break a butterfly’s wing.” Beware walls, my friends. And have a sparkling New Year.
