For the month of February Abby Dodge has chosen a beautiful
creamy cheesecake for her #baketogether (for Abby's original recipe, click here).
I was really happy to see this since I have been looking for an excuse
for months now to make a dish from one of my favorite comfort food stops in
Texas, Luby’s Cafeteria. Feeling
inspired by both of these recipes, I decided to blend elements of both and
throw in a couple of my own ideas into the mix coming up with a delightful cake
and a fun way to serve it and share it with friends.
When I was a teenager I loved going to Luby’s Cafeteria with
my parents. I was always in the mood to dine on their perfect macaroni and cheese along with a big
rectangular piece of cracker crumb breaded fried fish topped with a generous
dollop of creamy tartar sauce. Mmmmm, perfection.
In my twenties this was the place to go to gorge on
vegetables to revitalize my body after a long weekend of partying. At this time my favorite was Luby’s stuffed bell peppers, which from what I
could tell were made with chopped leftover roast beef and were no less than a
culinary triumph. Serve these with a
side of fried okra and a little white bowl filled with mashed potatoes and you are in comfort food heaven.
Years later I enjoyed taking my own children there and
treating them to their own favorites which were coincidentally enough, macaroni
and cheese and fried fish. They just
loved the place. I guess there is just
something about 25 yards of steam tables and hairnet clad servers saying,
“Serve you?” that just makes a child’s heart sing.
Things haven’t changed much through the years. You still slide your tray down the long silver
bar of the food line past the salads, entrees and sides. At the end of the line right before you reach the individually
wrapped cream cheese stuffed jalapenos and bowls of colorful cubed Jell-O,
there lies the always impressive selection of desserts.
Most often I was a coconut pie girl, but on occasion when I
felt like taking a walk on the wild side, I would change things up and get a
piece of their fluffy and creamy no bake cheesecake. The simple combination of a crushed graham
cracker crumb crust topped by a “light” combination of whipped cream and cream
cheese, was just the perfect ending to a 3000 calorie chicken fried steak
dinner.
Even though I miss it, maybe it’s a good thing they don’t have Luby’s in Colorado because it is obvious that I just have no willpower.
Even though I miss it, maybe it’s a good thing they don’t have Luby’s in Colorado because it is obvious that I just have no willpower.
Amaretto No Bake Cheesecakes with Toasted Almond and Biscoff
Crust
3 ounces whole almonds, coarsely chopped
8.8 ounce package Biscoff cookies
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
8 tablespoons butter, softened and divided
11 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
4 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
1 – 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 pinch of salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons amaretto (or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract can be
substituted for the amaretto)
1 cup heavy cream, whipped until firm
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place almonds in a frying pan over medium high heat. Stirring frequently to prevent burning, toast
the almonds until they are a golden brown and their aroma is released. Transfer to a plate to cool and set aside
until ready to use.
Place Biscoff cookies in the bowl of a food processor and
process until finely ground or alternatively place in a heavy duty bag and
crush with a rolling pin. Combine the
Biscoff crumbs, toasted almonds, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir well before removing 1 cup of the
mixture and setting aside. Melt 3
tablespoons of the butter and add it to the remaining cookie mixture in the
bowl; stir well.
Press the crumbs that were mixed with the butter into the
bottom of a 9” pie plate or press 1/4 cup of the mixture into the bottom of each
of 8 wide mouth 1/2 pint Mason jars.
Place the pie plate into the preheated oven or if using the Mason jars,
place them in a large baking dish and pour enough boiling water into it to make
a water bath that comes 1” up the outside of the jars; bake for approximately
10 – 12 minutes or until they are aromatic and golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool completely.
In a large bowl, blend together the cream cheese, the
remaining butter, mascarpone, powdered sugar, salt, vanilla extract and
amaretto; blend well. Gently fold in the
whipped cream until completely incorporated.
Spread the cheese mixture evenly over the cooled crust in
the pie plate or Mason jars. Cover and
refrigerate for 3 – 4 hours or preferably overnight.
Sprinkle equal amounts of the remaining cookie crumbs over the top of
the cheesecake before serving. Serve
plain or with fresh fruit. Store in the refrigerator.
Makes 8 generous servings
I thought it might be fun to enter this in the Valentine's Day contest over at Very Good Recipes. If you'd like to get other great ideas or see who wins, please visit the website by clicking on the address http://verygoodrecipes.com/be-my-valentine-challenge.
