I was rooting through my cupboard and found a can of chestnut spread I probably bought as an impulse once. It was a billion years old, but being in a tin it could have added another billion and it still would be good. I opened it and found it sweet. Wondering what the heck to do with it, I figured cheese cake could work. I just had to adjust a recipe I had already. Here it is:
Chestnut Cheesecake
Crust
2 cups of finely ground cinnamon graham crackers
1 stick (4 oz) melted butter
Filling
8 0z cream cheese softened at room temperature
8 oz sour cream
8 oz chestnut spread (technically it was slightly more, but who's counting?)
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
Preaheat the oven to 325º F
In a mixing bowl combine the crust ingredients with a wooden spatula until it's all even. Coat the bottoms and sides of your baking pan with the mix. Use your hand; don't be a wuss. If you want to be all proper, use a springform pan, but only if you have extra wide aluminum foil at hand. If you don't, use a solid baking pan.
In a bowl slowly beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer till it's smooth - ca. one minute. Add the eggs one by one, continuing to beat slowly. Add sugar and beat till creamy. Add chestnut spread and sour cream. Mix well. Don't forget to scrape down the sides of the bowl time to time. Pour the filling into the crust-lined pan.
If you used springform, set it on a sheet of oversized aluminum foil and fold up the sides around it. Place the pan in a large roasting pan. Pour boiling water into the pan till it comes hallway up to the pie pan.
Bake for 45 minutes. It will still jiggle in the middle, but it will firm up. Cool for 30 minutes, then chill in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
Okay, so it doesn't have the prettiest color, but it tastes good.
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5 comments:
Too spooky, Vanda. I just finished eating a chestnut and wild mushroom risotto (it's autumn over here; the chestnuts are falling off the trees and the woods are full of fungus - yum!). It's one of my favourite autumn dishes as it takes ages to cook and requires a sploosh of good white wine and I tend to drink a lot more as I'm stirring.
Chestnuts are great, sweet or savoury, but now you've enjoyed your cheesecake get hold of some fresh ones and give your tastebuds a real treat.
"Sploosh" - I love the way you make up words.
Do you guys over there eat cranberries? It's the big fall/winter thing over here.
I like the color. Regular cheesecake looks bland. I'm not the best judge, not being a lover of cheesecake. But this sounds different/better.
Thanks, Petrea. I've been racking my brain since on what other flavor cheesecake I could make.
Yup, cranberries are big here too, Vanda, but right now it's chestnuts, wild mushrooms and a jumbled confusion of squishy squashes, home-made chutneys and rich, dark winter beers. Autumn is a great time to cook (and eat myself stupid).
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