Who doesnt love pistachios and chocolate ??

PISTACHIO CHEESECAKE WITH CHOCOLATE GANACHE

So now that I've made this a couple times ( literally twice) I feel confident enough to give you all the recipe.... Here goes.


Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees

Ingreeds...

For the filling...*all of these should be room temp before combining

12 oz cream cheese
12 oz ricotta
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 cup rough chopped UNSALTED pistachios ( half will go inside , and half for around the edge)
1/3 cup pistachio paste ( got mine at Whole Foods)
1 tsp vanilla

For the ganache ( chocolate covering)...
1 cup semi-sweet choc chips
1/2 bar of dark chocolate of your choice ( broken into small bits)
2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup half and half ( or cream )

For the crust...
this is up to you... Ive done it with almond biscotti but I thought the flavor took away from the pistachio a little, so I made my second with regular graham cracker crust, you can even just buy it to make it easier !


Okay... prep crust whether home made or bought, and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, ricotta and sugar. Mix or beat till smooth.The whole thing can be mixed on the medium setting. Add one egg at a time mixing in each thoroughly. Then add vanilla, pistachios and paste and beat again till smooth ( this can all be mixed by hand but easier and better with a standing or even hand held beater...or even a blender!). Pour over crust evenly and set in oven for 50 minutes. As every oven is different, just look for the middle to be a little loose but should set during the cooling process. If any part still looks liquid leave it in turned off oven till you feel ok about it.

When done take out and let cool a while, at least 15 minutes, also if you made it in a spring form pan release it.

While your cheesecake is cooling you can make the ganache.

Set up a double boiler ( your gonna have to look this one up, Im sorry! I just dont think Ill explain it very well ) .

In the dbl boiler put half of all your choc and all of the half and half and butter.
Let sit a minute to warm up and then begin slowly mixing this while it melts. Just folding slowly with a spatula. Add the rest of the chocolate slowly, never too much at a time. Once consistent and your cheesecake isnt hot anymore take the ganache off the heat and set it next to cheesecake.

Pour about half of the warm chocolate on the center of the cake and spread slowly over and around edges with a spatula... this could take some getting used to, just do it slowly and add chocolate as necessary. Make sure you cover edges evenly and with a thick enough layer as this will act as the glue for the pistachios.

Placing the rest of the pistachios around the edges is a little tricky. Im actually hoping someone comes up with a better, smarter way to do this. So far the method Ive been using is to use a soup spoon, or tbsp and just push it lightly around the cake one spoonful at a time . After each spoonful turn over spoon to the clean side and give a little extra push into the ganache. Once you've tediously gone around the cake take a look around to see if any areas have been neglected or lost too many soldiers. You can fill these in by hand with pieces of pistachios... just BE CAREFUL ! You can easily make a mark in the ganache that cannot be fixed ( at least to my knowledge). Chill for at least 3 hrs...

Have fun with this, it is DELICIOUS ! And remember you can do whatever you want with the pistachios as far as decorating, this is just how I did it.

Happy eating !

BBQ Salmon Pizza

I made this pizza recently and loved it ! The best part is other than the pre-made dough I bought at Trader Joes I was honestly just trying to get rid of what was in the fridge. It is a black bean, bbq salmon pizza with caramelized onions, sesame seeds, and goat cheese, finished with fresh basil. Sounds crazy I know, but it was good enough that even though I knew I was full, and I KNEW I'd regret the hell out of it, I STILL ate a third piece. Sick.

I did not put strict measurements here, this is because you dont need them ! Have fun and taste while you go... depending on how big of a pizza your dough makes you can eyeball how much to use and how to spread out the ingreeds...

Pre-heat oven 375 degrees

Ingreeds...

pre-made pizza dough ( more power to ya if you want to make your own KEVIN, but Im personally not there yet, I like the Trader Joes dough, they even have whole wheat dough- not as good) ... and of course follow the dough directions... DO NOT forget to take out of fridge for 20 min or so this is KEY

black bean puree about half the can or so ( mine was canned, but you could make this as well, just cook em and throw em in the food processor)... definitely important that they are pureed as we will be spreading it as the base

salmon fresh, canned, or frozen... of course fresh is best

red onion half of an average size onion (sliced into rings)

orange one whole juiced

goat cheese any kind and as much as you want !

sesame seeds mine were in a shaker type thing, like what spices come in

basil the one thing you should be strict about in this pizza is that the basil is fresh

bbq sauce this is kind of an everything but the kitchen sink scenario dominated slightly by orange juice...

in order of appearance ( i know this makes some people nervous but ITS OK, just use your brain and think that you want enough to cook the salmon in, and a little left over to drizz )

ketchup 3/4 cup
orange juice ( save a little to soak onions in before caramelizing)
honey
brown sugar ( let say no more than 2 tbsp unless you are making tons)
mustard
chile pepper ( I had a dried morita in mine but anything from red pepper flakes to jalapenos would work, just something for a kick)
vinegar ( i used apple cider vinegar, the sweetness plays well with the others, BUT you could get away with any type I think, just use a little less if its not the AC vinegar)
salt, pepper,cinnamon and cumin ( literally dashes of the last two)


Alrighty, lets get this shizer done ! I'd say its best to take the dough out of the fridge first and set aside. Now the sauce, because the slower and lower the better ! This way it can simmer while you put the rest of the puzzle together. In a small to medium sauce pan throw all the ingreeds in and dont forget they are listed in order of appearance starting with 3/4 cup ketchup and descending from there. This sauce will reduce quite a bit and become a beautiful, glossy dark amber. Make sure you keep it on LOW.

Toss your sliced onion rings in about 1/4 of all the orange juice. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Now, do the deal with your dough, and dont obsess over the shape for gods sake... just make it happy, it tastes the same either way! If you are not doing this on a pizza stone ( which would mean on a pan of some kind) spray it with non-stick action NOW, then put the dough on it and build the pizza here.

Start by evenly spreading the black bean puree over the dough leaving some edges clean for crust. Do not put a ton of pressure down while doing this as you might make a hole in the dough. Gentle.

Ok toss those onions in a saute pan ( just as they are with the OJ, nothing else !) and start on low, checking on them every once in a while... you may want to go up to medium heat eventually.

Now as long as about 10 or 15 minutes has past since you put the bbq sauce on we are good to go. If not just relax for a few, trust me you want to flavors to love each other. Then in a saute pan covered lightly in olive oil, or veg oil, whatever you like, place the salmon. Mix in most of the bbq sauce while gently breaking up the salmon into small flaky pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until cooked to your liking, and remember this will be spending time in the oven so depending on your taste you may not want to cook it through.

Spread salmon evenly over the black bean puree.

Time to check the onions. You want to see golden but translucent color. You also want them to be reduced a bit in size since the water has been cooked out of them. So look at my pictures and then look at your onions, if they look ANYTHING alike youre golden !

Now evenly spread the onions over your pizza.

Now the same with the goat cheese, break it up and spread it out.

Drizzle the remainder of your bbq sauce over the pizza.

Now sprinkle the sesame seeds however you like em !

"Shitaake mushroom!" You made a pizza. Put that bad boy in the oven for about 12 minutes and hope for the best ! Just kidding, it'll be fine. 12 minutes is probably not long enough, but its a great time to check on it. Everyones oven and tastes are different so just SET A TIMER, cause if youre anything like me you will try to do 15 things before the pizza is done and chances are the b*t$h might burn ! Dont take a chance.

Chop that FRESH basil, and when your amazing masterpiece is cooked to perfection you let the basil fall over it slowly like the finishing touches of a Rembrandt.

Eat it. Love it. Live it.

And let me know how it really was, god damned it. Seriously just because something worked once doesnt mean it will work every time !