Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake Recipe

8 1/2 oz Chocolate Wafers, Fine Crush
1/2 c Butter, Melted
12 oz Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 c Heavy cream
16 oz Cream Cheese, Softened
1/4 c Sugar
4 ea Large Eggs
3/4 c Cherry Flavored Liqueur
1 ts Vanilla Extract
1 lb Cherry Pie Filling
1/2 c Heavy Cream Whipped (Opt.)
In large bowl, combine chocolate wafer crumbs and butter. Pat fimly into 9-inch springform pan, covering bottom and 2 1/2 inches up sides. Chill. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Combine over hot (not boiling) water, chocolate chips and heavy cream. Stir until morsels are melted and mixture is smooth. Set aside. In large bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar, beating untl creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add chocolate mixture, cherry liqueur, and vanilla, mix until blended. Pour into prepared crust. Bake at 325 degrees F. for 60 minutes. Turn oven off. Let stand in oven with door ajar 1 hour. Remove, cool completely. Chill 24 hours. Spread cherry pie filling over top of cheesecake leaving 1-inch from the edge. Decorate edge with whipped cream, if desired.

Tuscan Cheesecake

3 lb Ricotta cheese
8 Eggs
2 c Sugar
1 c Milk
2 Oranges, grated zest only
2 Lemons, grated zest only
2 2/3 oz Grand mariner
1 tb Clarified butter
1/4 c Plain bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Beat ricotta cheese with blender until smooth. Add eggs, sugar, and milk. Blend until well-mixed and smooth. Add orange and lemon zest and Grand Mariner. Mix well.
Grease one cheesecake pan with butter and coat lightly with bread crumbs. Fill pan 3/4 of the way with cheesecake mixture. Set pan in a larger pan filled half full with water and bake 1-1/4 hours. Turn oven off, leaving the cake within. Let stand for one hour. Remove, let cool, and refrigerate.

Another Chocolate Cheesecake

1 pk (8 1/2 oz) chocolate wafers; crushed (Oreos work well, filling and all)
6 tb Unsalted butter; melted
2 pk (8 oz) cream cheese; softened (low fat works well)
2/3 c Sugar
3 Eggs
12 oz Or 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate, melted
1 c Whipping cream
2 tb Unsalted butter; melted
1 ts Vanilla
1/2 c Kahlua
Heat oven to 325F. In medium bowl, combine wafers and butter, reserving 1 tablespoon of the crumbs for garnish. Press remaining crumbs in bottom and 2 inches up sides of an ungreased 10- inch springform pan. Refrigerate. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and sugar; beat until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time,
beating well after each addition. Add melted chocolate; beat well. Add remaining ingredients, and beat until smooth. Pour into crust-lined pan. Bake at 325F for 55 to 65 minutes or until edges are set. Center of cheesecake will be soft. (To minimize cracking, place a shallow pan with about 3/4 inch of hot water on the lower oven rack while baking.) Allow cheesecake to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then carefully remove the sides of the pan. Allow the cheesecake to cool completely. Garnish with the reserved crumbs (provided you can keep your spouse from eating them), and refrigerate (at least 2-3 hours, preferably overnight). Keeps well in refrigerator for 3 days, probably longer.

Cheddar Chili Cheesecake

1 1/2 tb Butter (for pan)
1/4 c Fine breadcrumbs, toasted
1/4 c Finely grated cheddar cheese
6 oz Thinly sliced ham
1 1/2 lb Cream cheese, room temp.
3/4 lb Sharp cheddar, grated
1 c Cottage cheese
3/4 c Chopped green onion
4 Eggs
3 tb Jalapeno pepper*
2 tb Milk
1 Garlic clove, halved .
*seeded and finely chopped.
Preheat oven to 325. Butter 9" springform pan. Mix breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup cheddar. Sprinkle mixture into pan, turning to coat. Refrigerate. Dice about half of ham; reserve remaining slices. Mix diced ham with remaining ingredients in blender or processor until smooth. Pour slightly more than half of filling into prepared pan. Top with reserved ham slices in even layer. Cover with remaining filling. Set pan on baking sheet. Bake 1 1/4 hours. Turn oven off and cool cheesecake about 1 hour with door ajar. Transfer cheesecake to rack. Remove sides of pan. Cool to room temperature before serving.