A dark chocolate cheesecake with a rich cookie bottom crust.  How could anyone resist?

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This month’s Francois Payard recipe was chosen by Susan of Baking With Susan

Make the cookie bottom first.  Francois calls this a Sable Breton.  It’s different from any cookie crust I’ve made before in that it uses HARD COOKED EGG YOLKS to make the dough flakier, more crumbly.

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The recipe for 1 lb of Sable Breton:

  • Hard boil 2 large eggs.  Cool.  Remove shell, remove white, then crumble the egg yolk as small as you can.
  • Combine 4 1/2 oz butter + 1/2 cup confectioners sugar + 1/4 tsp salt.  Beat with mixer until smooth.
  • Add 1/4 cup almond flour + 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour + 1 tsp dark rum + crumbled egg yolks.
  • Mix all the above until a dough forms.  You can refrigerate it or freeze it for 1 week. 
  • If you want to bake it immediately, refrigerate for one hour. Preheat oven to 375 F, then roll dough out, 1/4 inch think in a 9 inch circle, or use the bottom of the spring form pan you intend to use for the cheesecake as a guide.  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove and cool.

The recipe for the cheesecake filling:

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  • 2 lbs cream cheese – at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
  • 3 TBS flour
  • Zest of 2 oranges
  • *I added 1 tsp vanilla
  • *I used 3 jumbo eggs
  • *I used 3 large egg whites
  • 1 cup sour cream – at room temperature
  • 8 oz dark chocolate – melted
  • For assembly: you will need 1/2 cup of marmalade and your precooked Sable (or BIG cookie!)

Preheat the oven to 300 F.  Spray a 9” spring form pan with non-stick spray and line the bottom with parchment.  Wrap the bottom in foil which goes 1/2 way up the sides because you will set the pan in water so the top of the cheesecake cooks without cracking.

Using an electric mixer, mix to make smooth the cheese, sugar, flour, and zest.  Scrap down the sides and bottom of mixer bowl.  Add the whole eggs and the whites gradually until incorporated.  Add the sour cream and melted chocolate but only mix those until combined.

Pour the mix into the prepared pan and place in a baking sheet or roasting pan.  Now place in the oven and pour water in the sheet or pan.  Do not add so much water that it seeps over the sides of the foil lined spring form.  Bake for 1 1/2 to 2 hours OR until the cake is set but still “jiggly” (there shouldn’t be much of a shiny spot in the center). 

Once cooked – DO NOT UNMOLD!  All to cool then put into the freezer.  When you are ready to use….

Place parchment on a plate.  Put the Sable (BIG cookie) on the plate and spread the marmalade on top.  Now unmold the FROZEN cheese cake, removing sides and bottom and parchment.  Turn it upside down on a piece of parchment. Put the sable/cookie marmalade side to the cheesecake on the bottom of the  cake.  Flip it all over.

Allow to defrost and enjoy!  *Serve at room temperature.

The cheesecake

Mmmmm…..just my style!

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