Recipe Round Up: Sumac Onions, Three Layer Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

Sumac Onions

These are so simple to make, and delicious! They make a good side dish, salad, or topping for sandwiches.

1 large red onion, sliced paper thin
1 bunch parsley, finely minced
2 tablespoons good olive oil
juice of one lemon, strained
1 1/2 tablespoon ground sumac (plus more, if you like)
salt, to taste
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (optional, but wonderful)

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl and toss to blend. Let sit for 2 - 3 minutes.

Taste, and season with more ground sumac, if necessary. Cover and set aside for about 30 minutes before serving.

Three Layer Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

This triple layer cake is one of a few cakes I rotate through for my birthday cakes. It is a perfect mix of flavor and texture. This cake combines multiple types of dessert in one: Vanilla cheesecake, chocolate mousse, and a gorgeous ganache. Making it is really a matter of timing, but doesn't take too much time, even so. To make things easier, make the cheesecake and crust on one day and the mousse and ganache on the next day. Cheesecake lasts longer than mousse. Refrigerated, this cake will last up to 3 days but is best eaten the day it is made.

Crust:
1 1/2 cups very finely crushed chocolate cookie crumbs (one sleeve of Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers or equivalent amount of chocolate graham crackers) - you can pulse in a food processor to crush
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional, but it does intensify the chocolate flavor)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cups sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature

Make Crust: Pre-heat oven to 400˚F. Set aside a 9-inch springform pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together the cookie crumbs, sugar and espresso powder until blended. I do this by pulsing the sugar and espresso powder into the food processor bowl. Drizzle with melted butter and mix (or pulse) until well blended and crumbs are evenly moist. Turn out the mixture into a 9-inch springform pan and press evenly onto the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes and set on a wire rack to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 300˚F.

Make Filling and Bake: Mix the sour cream and vanilla in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and salt until very smooth and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl and paddle frequently (and with each subsequent addition). Add the sugar and continue beating until well blended and smooth. Beat in the sour cream mixture until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until just blended. (Don't overbeat the filling once the eggs have been added or the cheesecake will puff too much). Pour the filling over the cooled crust, spread evenly, and smooth the top.

Bake at 300˚F until the center barely jiggles when nudged, about 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and let rest for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. The cake will be slightly puffed, perhaps with a few little cracks around the edge. Let cool to room temperature on a rack, then refrigerate until well chilled, at least a few hours, or overnight for the best texture and flavor.

Chocolate Mousse:
6 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, chopped (use good chocolate)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons espresso powder (optional)
3 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup cold heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl, and place over a saucepan containing barely simmering water, use a double boiler, or heat in the microwave for 2 minutes. Melt the chocolate and butter together and stir with a whisk until smooth. Add in the espresso powder. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Add the egg yolks to the chocolate, one at a time, beating with a whisk until incorporated. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar, and continue to beat. Gradually whisk in 1/4 cup sugar, and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Beat heavy cream in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters until it begins to foam and thicken up. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and vanilla. Continue to whip the cream until it holds soft peaks.

Gradually and gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Then, fold in the whipped cream. Take care not over work the mousse but make sure you blend in the cream well. Place the mousse on top of the cooled cheesecake while still in the springform pan.

Cover the mousse covered cheesecake with foil, being careful to not let it touch the mousse.

If making the ganache immediately, place mousse covered cheesecake in the freezer as you make the ganache (the cheesecake should NOT be in the freezer for more than 30 minutes). If making the ganache later, place the cheesecake in the refrigerator for a few hours. Either way, the ganache must be cooled before it can be poured on top of the cheesecake.

Ganache:
2/3 cup heavy cream
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon vanilla extract or fruit liqueur (I like to use Chambord)

Either heat the cream with the chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler, or in a microwave for about a minute and a half. Allow to melt the chocolate without disturbing at first (if using the microwave, you will have to stir a little to see if the chocolate is softened, and if it needs more time, use 30 second increments, so as not to burn the chocolate). Whisk the mixture when the chocolate is entirely soft, and keep whisking long past when you think you have ruined it. It will appear like a wet mess at first, then granular, then it will become glossy and thick. Add vanilla extract, or flavored liqueur at this point and whisk it in as well. Allow to cool almost to room temperature (at least 15 minutes). Pour over chilled mousse covered cheesecake. Chill until ready to serve.

To Serve: Unclasp the pan's ring, remove it, and run a long thin metal spatula under the bottom crust. Carefully slide the cake onto a flat serving plate. Run a thin knife under hot water, wipe it dry, and cut the cake into slices, heating and wiping the knife as needed. I like to serve this with raspberries.