Please join me in welcoming Joelle Charbonneau to the kitchen. If you've ever had the pleasure of meeting Joelle, you know she's every bit as delightful as her books. Speaking of which, End Me a Tenor (the 2nd Glee Club Mystery) will be out this Tuesday ... yep, in just two days! So treat yourself to this Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake and a great mystery by Joelle ...
Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake
I admit that I’m not always a fan of dessert. I think I’m the only author that doesn’t use
chocolate for moments of anxiety or celebration. (Eeek! I probably shouldn’t have admitted
that. They’re going to throw me out of
the club now.) If a dessert has heaps of
frosting or large quantities of cake involved, I have no problem turning it
down. (Yep…I’m getting tossed out on my
butt.) Perhaps it isn’t surprising that
my heroine from End Me A Tenor, Paige Marshall, isn’t a huge dessert eater
either. Salty snacks, well that’s
another story.
However, that being said, there are some desserts that I
absolutely love. My grandfather (aka
Pater) was the baker in the family while I was growing up. He had a spare oven in his basement and was
known to bake dozens of pies or cakes in one day. He even made homemade jelly from the grapes
that grew in his backyard. Pretty
awesome grandpa, right? One of the
desserts he made that everyone in my family loved (including me and especially
my father) was cheesecake. It was an old
fashioned recipe with a slightly sweetened sour cream layer that gave the
dessert just the perfect amount of tang.
I still make that cheesecake and think of him every time I
do, but as any good third generation baker does – I’ve branched out and made
new and different versions of cheesecake.
Trust me when I say Pater would have approved. In fact, he would’ve been the first at the
table ready to taste the results of my efforts.
Over the years, I’ve made a lot of different cheesecakes. But one has stood out as my absolute
favorite…perhaps because it also includes two of my other favorite things:
apples and cinnamon. Pater would have
loved it. My mom, another non-dessert
eater, does. I hope you do, too.
Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake
Crust:
1
cup crushed graham crackers
3-4
TB butter
3
TB sugar
1
tsp cinnamon
Cheese
mixture:
2
packes of cream cheese - softened
1/2
cup sugar
1
tsp vanilla
2
eggs
Topping:
4
large granny smith apples sliced thin
1/3
cup sugar
1
tsp cinnamon
1/2
cup halved pecans
Preheat
oven to 350
Mix
graham crackers, melted butter, sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Press mixture
into a 9" spring pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
Mix
cream cheese, sugar and vanilla together. Add eggs one at a time - beat until
creamy. Pour mixture on top of crust.
Toss
apples, sugar and cinnamon together. Place on top of cheese mixture. Sprinkle
pecans on top.
Bake
for 70 minutes. Remove from oven and use a knife around the edge. Wait for the
cake to cool before releasing the spring pan. Chill before serving. Enjoy!
How
about you? Do you have a special dessert
that makes you think of a special family member? What dessert tastes just a little better
because it’s sprinkled with memories?
~~~~~
Lovely story, and one can never have too many cheesecake recipes--and one with apples! But it's not fair to subject me to temptation so early in the day!
ReplyDeleteSheila, I promise this recipe is totally worth the temptation. Thanks for letting me play here today!
ReplyDeleteJoelle - This recipe really does look fantastic. I have an apple peeler/corer/slicer that I use for apple pie ... now it has another use!! Thank you for being our guest.
ReplyDeleteWelcome Joelle! So funny to have a baker grandfather and not love desserts! Are you bringing Lipton onion dip and potato chips to the club? In that case, you can definitely stay...
ReplyDeleteI used to be less of a dessert eater, but that's sacreligious (sp?) in my hub's family so I've piled on. I can usually resist ice cream and baked goods that aren't homemade....but a homemade cake? Count me in!
Now I know I'm not alone! I'm not a big sweet eater either--I'd rather something salty or crunchy. But this does look delicious! My husband LOVES dessert so I will have to make this for him.
ReplyDeleteWelcome, Joelle. What lovely memories of your grandfather. This sounds like a wonderful treat. I bet you're right -- he would approve.
ReplyDelete~Krista
Hi, Joelle! Happy Easter (late in the day). I know there are camps re: sugar and salt. Some people are in the sweet and some in the salty. I happen to like both. Lucky me! Love the tale of your grandfather and the cheesecake, one of my all-time favorite desserts. I will definitely try this.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the release of your new book this week. Whee! Clearing my vocal chords and ready to sing: Tra-la.
Daryl / Avery