Pear and Gorgonzola Tart

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By Christy

Fall has come and gone, and we are officially in full fledged winter in Nashville. A winter weather advisory is actually in place for tonight with expectations of ice in the area. Something about cold weather always makes me want to bake but tonight I resisted the urge because like most of us during the holidays we get behind on many of our tasks, and one thing I am behind on is posting quite a few recipes I have tried in the last two months.

BigCat and I were home in KY during November for hunting season and I couldn't help but hit up my grandfather's HUGE Bartlett pear tree. It was covered in the most delicious sweet pears. I haven't really cooked with pears before but was determined since I had struck gold in the pear department that I needed to share a pear recipe.

If you love Gorgonzola cheese, this dish is for you!
Ingredients:
Puff Pastry Sheets defrosted
3 Bartlett pears, peeled, cored, and sliced
3/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese
1/3 cup Ricotta Cheese
1/4 cup Pecans or Walnuts
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat the oven to 350.  Roll out the puff pastry into a pan or a tart pan. Poke the pastry with a fork all around the surface.

Mix the cheeses together and spread 3/4ths the mixture over the pastry. Top with the slices of pears, and topped with nuts. Rub melted butter on top of the pears and nuts. Crumble the remaining cheese mixture over the top.

Bake for 30 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. This dish is awesome served with a green salad.

This dish made it girls dinner party.

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Chocolate Fudge Cheesecake

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by Cindy

I made several really good desserts during the holidays, and Christy really loved this one.  This cheesecake has a brownie bottom with the traditional cheesecake on top of that, topped with a chocolate glaze over the cheesecake layer.  I loved the brownie bottom and the top is just a delicious cheesecake.  I didn't want to make 2 large cheesecakes, so I halved the recipe and made 4 mini cheesecakes.  Cheesecakes freeze really well so I froze one for later.  Since it called for 7 eggs and I can't half an egg, I just beat the fourth egg a little and only used half of that.  I also cut the baking time a little and kept a close watch on them.  The recipe is easy to follow and oh so good! 

Chocolate Brownie Cheesecake

1/2 cup toasted, chopped pecans

4 (1-ounce) unsweetened chocolate baking squares

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 t vanilla extract

1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cup sugar

7 large eggs

2 t vanilla

2 Chocolate Glaze

Sprinkle 1/2 cup pecans evenly over the bottom of each of 2 greased and floured 9-inch springform pans.

Microwave chocolate squares in a microwave-safe bowl at MEDIUM (50% power) 1 1/2 minutes, stirring at 30-second intervals until melted.  Stir until smooth.

Beat butter and 2 cups sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy.  Add 4 eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.  Add melted chocolate, beating just until blended.

Add flour, beating at low speed just until blended.  Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and chocolate morsels.  Divide batter evenly between pans, spreading over chopped pecans.



Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth; add 1 3/4 cups sugar, beating until blended.  Add 7 eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.  Stir in 2 teaspoons vanilla.  Divide cream cheese mixture evenly between each pan, spreading over brownie batter.



Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until set.  Remove from oven; cool completely on wire racks.

Spread top of each cooled cheesecake with 1 recipe Chocolate Glaze.  For a thinner layer of chocolate on top, divide 1 recipe of glaze between the two cakes.

 Chocolate Glaze

1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels

1/2 cup whipping cream

Melt 1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels and 1/2 cup whipping cream in a 2-quart microwave-safe bowl at MEDIUM (50% power) 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt.  Whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth.

recipe from

Southern Living

December 2005

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2012 Top Ten

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Happpppy New year! Can you believe it is already 2013?

2012 has been a very "sweet" year for us Buttercream Bakers and we have a top ten list of our readers favorite posts to prove it.
1) Cheesecake filled Carrot Cake Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

2) Grape Salad

3) Peanut Peanut Butter Brownies

4) Cinnamon Sugar Nutella Croissants

5) Low Calorie, Low Carb Egg Cups

6) Chocolate and Maraschino Cherry Valentine's Day Cupcakes

7) Pineapple Dessert Cake

8) Jack Daniels Whiskey Cupcakes

9) Chocolate filled Chocolate Chip Cookies

10) Large Soft Pretzels

Trends this year on our site:

• Cupcakes!
• Non-Dessert Items!

What was your favorite BcB post from 2012? Did you try any of our posted recipes?

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Crème Brûlée

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By Cindy

Happy New Year!

Well the new year is well on its way, and I'm among the many people who are thinking about trying to lose weight.  Before the year ended though, I decided to make something that was really special and not low calorie.  I wanted to make something for Christmas Day dessert that would be really above and beyond. It seems like whenever I'm out eating with a group of people, many of them order Crème Brûlée, so that's what I made.  Christy was home, and I asked her if I should make it the quick, easy way or the harder way.  She told me the hard way, so here are the instructions and the recipe that I used.   It's not really hard but it takes a little time from start to finish, and a small butane torch is required.  It can be made ahead of time and that is a big plus for me.  It tasted smooth and creamy with the crunchy sugar top that was hardened by the torch flame right before it was served.  

 Crème Brûlée

4 cups Heavy Cream

1 whole Vanilla Bean OR 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract OR 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Paste

10 whole Egg Yolks

3/4 cups Sugar

6 Tablespoons Superfine (Baker's) Sugar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Pour the cream into the saucepan. Add vanilla (whichever product you're using) and simmer over medium-low heat.

Whip egg yolks with the sugar until pale yellow and thick.

Strain cream using a fine mesh strainer.



Whip yolks while you very slowly drizzle in 1 cup of warm cream. Go slowly so as not to cook the eggs! Once the first cup is added, you can add the rest of the cream slowly.

Place ramekins onto a rimmed baking sheet. Pour custard mixture into ramekins. Pour water in bottom of baking sheet until it comes halfway up the ramekins. Bake for 30 minutes, or until just set. Do not allow to get brown.

Cool ramekins on countertop, then chill for at least 2-3 hours, covered in plastic wrap.

To serve, sprinkle 1 tablespoon over each ramekin of custard. Use a kitchen torch to quickly (but carefully) brown the sugar. There should be a thin, crisp surface of burned sugar on the top.

Serve immediately!

recipe from

The Pioneer Woman

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