Cheesecake Brownies

These cheesecake brownies are a sure crowd pleaser. After all, they're brownies! They're cheesecake! They're two great tastes in one! Plus, they have that fanciful swirlyness going on that people can't help but be drawn to. And when you're trying to avoid eating every bit of the sinful things you make yourself, it's a good thing when people want to eat them for you.



These brownies talk a good talk, but in reality they are quite easy to make. There's a brownie layer, followed by a cheesecake layer, followed by another brownie 'layer.' Two batters, and they're both very simple.

I ran into a little trouble with the brownie batter being very thick while the cheesecake batter was very thin. But that could also be because I softened the cream cheese by nuking it in the microwave for 30 seconds rather than waiting for it to soften to room temperature. In any case, the final step of dolloping on some reserved brownie batter onto the cheesecake layer, then making the swirl patterns was a bit challenging, as the brownie batter didn't want to move much, and I didn't want to over mix it with the cheesecake.



I also used the microwave for the brownie batter step of melting the butter and chocolate together. You can, of course, use a double boiler if you like, but after discovering how I can bend technology to my culinary will, I can't resist the convenience. In this case, I broke the chocolate into pieces, put them into a bowl along with a stick of butter, and nuked it for 1 minute. It was long enough to melt the butter entirely, while softening up the chocolate. You don't want to microwave too long and risk burning the chocolate. At this point, I stirred until all the chocolate was melted and the resulting mixture was glossy and smooth.

I think I've mentioned this before, but I don't like my desserts super sweet. I adapted the recipe to use less sugar, and substituted some brown sugar for the white in the brownie batter. I thought this made the chocolate flavor stand out more. The resulting brownies are very moist, somewhere between cakey and fudgy. The cheesecake adds a bit of tang, but the brownie flavor definitely overwhelms it. In my view the cheesecake layer adds more aesthetic appeal than flavor appeal, but others may disagree.



Part of the ease of making these is because there isn't any special equipment required (unless you count the double boiler -- but I really recommend using the microwave) -- just a couple of handy bowls and a trusty wooden spoon. It's nice to know that great desserts can be made the old-fashioned way.

Cheesecake Brownies (adapted from Cookies and Brownies by Alice Medrich)

Ingredients:

For the brownie batter

• 1/2 cup (8 tbsp or 1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 4oz dark or unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup granulated white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt

For the cheesecake batter

• 8oz cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 large egg

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place a rack in the center of the oven.
2. Prepare a 9-inch square baking pan. Create a foil sling (the idea is to help you lift the brownie out of the pan after baking) and fit it into the pan. Spray with cooking oil.
3. Melt the butter and chocolate together, either by using a double boiler or in the microwave. Stir until glossy and smooth.
4. Stir in the sugar and vanilla extract.
5. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Add the flour and salt, stirring for about a minute, until the ingredients are well incorporated and the batter is smooth.
7. Reserve 1/2 cup of the brownie batter and set aside. Pour the rest of the brownie batter into the reserved pan and spread it out as evenly as you can; it's not super critical.
8. Process the cream cheese until smooth (you can use a hand mixer or food processor if you like, but I just used a fork after softening the cream cheese in the microwave). Add the sugar, egg, and vanilla and stir until just incorporated.
9. Carefully pour the cheesecake mixture over the brownie mixture in the pan.
10. Next, place small dollops of the reserved brownie batter over the cheesecake layer. Use a table knife to swirl the two without overmixing.
11. Bake in the preheated oven for about 25 minutes, or until the brownies have started to pull away from the pan and the edges are starting to brown.
12. Cool the brownies until firm enough to cut (cool completely to room temperature, or after cooling a bit after taking them out of the oven, place the pan in the fridge to cool), then lift them out using the foil sling. Cut them into the desired number of squares with a sharp knife.

Coq au Vin, Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies

I love French cuisine, and Coq au Vin (pronounced CŌKE oh-VANH) is one of my favorite dishes (though "coq" refers to a rooster, it's commonly prepared with hen). It's a combination of tender chicken and a rich, flavorful sauce that French cuisine is known for. It's easy to prepare, though moderately time consuming. If you have a couple of hours to spare though, it's totally worth it. And it makes your house smell divine!

The original recipe is adapted from MarthaStewart.com.

Here all the ingredients have been set up, ready for cooking! I sort of forgot that the garlic was supposed to be sliced and made a little more work for myself by mincing, but the end result was just as good.

Check out the awesome purple chicken after marinating overnight in the wine.

Fresh out of the oven and de-fatted (that should be a word).

Close up shot, mmmm. My plating skills still leave something to be desired, so that's not shown.

Ingredients

• 4 chicken thighs
• 4 chicken legs
• 2 cups full-bodied red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 8 ounces slab bacon, cut into 1/2-inch dice
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, if needed
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 10 white pearl onions, peeled (or frozen)
• 1/2 pound small cremini mushrooms
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons Cognac
• 1 chicken liver, coarsely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 5 fresh thyme sprigs (or 1 tsp dried thyme)

Method

The night before:

1. Place chicken in a large bowl, and add wine. Cover, and refrigerate overnight.

2-3 hours before serving:

1. Remove chicken from wine, and pat dry; reserve wine. Season chicken with salt and pepper.
2. Cook bacon in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat until crisp, about 20 minutes. Transfer bacon to a plate, leaving drippings in pot. (You should have about 3 tablespoons; you may need to add oil.)
3. Raise heat to medium-high. Working in batches, cook chicken, flipping once, until golden, 4 to 5 minutes per side. If you find that it's browning very quickly, lower the heat -- you don't want it to burn. Transfer chicken to a plate.
4. Preheat oven to 325°F. (You can do this earlier, but I usually do it after browning the chicken.)
5. Add onion to pot and cook 4 to 5 minutes.
6. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes.
7. Add pearl onions and mushrooms and cook until brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
8. Stir in flour and tomato paste, and cook 2 minutes. At this point, the mixture will be well blended but dry.
9. Add Cognac, and cook, stirring, 1 minute. The mixture will still be on the dry side.
10. Return bacon and chicken to pot. Pour in reserved wine, and add chicken liver and herbs. Bring to a simmer.
11. Cover the pot and place it in the oven until chicken has cooked through and vegetables are tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
12. Discard herbs, and skim fat from surface. Serve hot.

When I made this before, I lamented that there wasn't enough of the delicious sauce. So when I made it this time, I doubled the sauce ingredients (wine, flour, tomato paste, Cognac). Also, the bacon drippings have always been enough to cook the chicken and the rest; I've never had to add the extra oil. Alternatively, if using bacon drippings is too rich/decadent for you, you could drain it after the bacon's cooked and use olive oil for the rest of the steps.

Really wonderful served with vegetables (especially potatoes, as you can liberally spoon the sauce over them), rice, and/or pasta. And of course, crusty bread is a must.

For dessert, I made Chocolate Pumpkin Brownies, first introduced by LJer dictumsibylla. The recipe is here. Since I love the flavor of pumpkin I could use even more of it. Maybe next time I'll double the pumpkin portion.

Pictures: