The lemon cheesecake that serves as the base of this recipe is the first cheesecake I ever baked from scratch. Matt had gotten me my stand mixer for my birthday (lucky girl!) and I wanted to christen my new kitchen toy with an epic recipe. After days of sifting through cookbooks and blog posts to pick the perfect recipe we decided on a lemon cheesecake with lemon curd.

My, oh my, was it outrageous. I have since made the lemon curd many times over for all sorts of recipes and occasions, but had yet to revisit the fluffy and tart lemon cheesecake. Four years later I decided it was finally time to make it again. I told you it takes me a long time to remake recipes! I thought the lemon would pair perfectly with cranberry for the holiday season because of the flavors and beautiful color.

This cranberry raspberry compote is simply made with cranberries, raspberries, orange juice and sugar. It is sweet, tart, fruity and a great cheesecake topping.

If you have never made a cheesecake before I urge you to give it a shot. You will feel so impressed with yourself when you’re done and your tastebuds will thank you. Although it may seem intimidating, homemade cheesecake is rather simple.

The key to an extra light and fluffy texture is to keep beating the cream cheese past when you normally think you should stop. If the cream cheese is extra airy before you pour it into the crust you will have an unbelievable texture once it is baked.

Lemon Cheesecake with Cranberry Raspberry Compote

 

Print

Yield: 12 servings

Ingredients

for the crust

• 16 graham cracker squares
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

for the filling

• 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• Zest of 1 lemon

for the compote

• ½ cup orange juice
• ½ cup sugar
• 6 ounces fresh cranberries
• 1 cup fresh raspberries

Directions

for the crust

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9" springform pan with parchment paper and set aside.
2. Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor to create crumbs. Add the melted butter and pulse until the graham cracker crumbs are coated. Evenly press into the bottom and ½" up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.

for the filling

1. Beat the cream cheese until very fluffy. It should almost have a satiny quality to it. Add the sugar then beat until smooth. Add 1 egg then beat for 30 seconds. Repeat with the remaining 2 eggs. Stir in the lemon juice and zest.
2. Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is set, except for the center which should look almost just set and glossy. Let cool to room temperature on a cooling rack then cover the pan and chill in the fridge overnight.

for the compote

1. Combine the orange juice and sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. After 5 minutes, add the cranberries and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
2. Once the mixture comes to a boil and most of the cranberries have started to burst, add the raspberries then reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Let cool in the fridge. Pour over the top of the cheesecake.

3.2.2802

Lauren Uncategorized 1 Comment

I love doing these holiday round up posts because they give me a chance to look back through everything I have posted on Lemon & Mocha. About 97% of the time I am so busy trying new recipes from my endless stream of cooking magazines, cookbooks and Pinterest that years go by between making the same dish twice. Looking through this list here today though made me want to start December by re-making each and every single one of these. I may or may not have been drooling in anticipation as omg-this-is-so-freakin-delicious food memories came flooding back. So here is some inspiration for you for Thanksgiving or really anytime you’re looking for something out of this world to eat. Enjoy!

Caramelized Onion & Apple Dip. Start the big day off right with an indulgent dip to tide your guests over until the turkey is ready.

Spiced Sweet Potato & Apple Soup. The curry butter adds a unique twist to this fall soup.

Greek Yogurt Cornbread. The most moist and delicious cornbread you will ever eat.

Grilled Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms. Free up some room in your oven with this outrageously delicious dish.

Lemon, Garlic & Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower. Add some healthy and flavor-packed veggies to your Thanksgiving table.

Pineapple Bread Pudding. It sounds unusual, but this is the most life-changing side dish. Warning: you may not want to share.

French Onion Green Beans. A light take on an old classic.

Stracciatella Chocolate Hazelnut Gelato Pie. Delight your guests with an out-of-this-world showstopper dessert.

Turkey Manchego Panini with Sun-dried Tomato Mayo. Perfect sandwich for leftover Thanksgiving turkey.

Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Fresh Rolls with Cranberry Dipping Sauce. A unique way and light way to use up your leftovers.

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

Thanksgiving is almost here! Only a few more days until we get to say thanks for all the good events and people that graced our lives over the past year. Of course, our thanks would not be complete without an all-day marathon gorge fest.

After the glorious turkey, mashed potatoes lathered with gravy, piping hot biscuits, tart cranberry sauce and 23 other dishes, the great finale of any traditional Thanksgiving meal are the pies. Along with the pies comes the great pie debate. Apple pie or cherry pie? Pumpkin pie or lemon meringue pie? Blueberry pie or the ever mysterious chess pie?

One of my favorites is the classic pecan pie, although it is usually missing a very important key ingredient. Chocolate! Once you experience pecan pie loaded up with chocolately chip goodness you will never want to settle for regular, plain old, chocolate-lacking pecan pie again.

How pecan pie minus chocolate chips is the standard completely boggles my mind. I found a mini pie pan at Christmas Tree Shop last year and have been itching to bake up some cuteness.

Mini pies are fantastic because they take less time in the oven, are adorable and you can have a whole pie all to yourself! Thanksgiving is all about sharing, but when it comes to dessert… just don’t get your fork too close to my pie…

Mini Molten Chocolate Pecan Pies

 

Print

Yield: 5 mini pies

Ingredients

• 3 eggs, beaten
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¾ cup dark corn syrup
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1¼ cups pecan halves
• ¾ cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 sheet unbaked pie crust, pressed into mini pie pans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Pre-bake the pie shells, making sure to use pie weights, for 7 minutes.
2. Combine the eggs, brown sugar, flour, vanilla extract and corn syrup in a medium mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and stir. Add the pecans and chocolate chips then stir. Distribute evenly into the prepared mini pie shells.
3. Bake for 20 minutes with a sheet pan underneath to catch any dripping.

Notes

To make one pie instead of mini pies, press the pie crust into a 9" pan. Pour all the filling into the pie shell then bake for 50-60 minutes. Cover the crust with aluminum foil partway through baking so the crust doesn't get burnt.

3.2.2802

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

I love discovering new ways to cook up my favorite vegetables instead of my usual steaming or roasting methods. When I came across these snow peas with toasted walnuts and dried cranberries I knew I had to make them. The flavor profile screams fall and nicely complements the dry rubbed roast pork tenderloin I posted last week.

I like to cook the snow peas until they are just tender, but still have plenty of crunch so the little peas pop out of the pods when you bite into them. It’s the little things, folks. This side dish can be made in less than 10 minutes making it a huge keeper in my book.

The tartness of the dried cranberries and lemon juice pairs well with the nutty earthiness of the toasted walnuts.

I used the same dried orange cranberries I bought from Trader Joe’s that I used in my fall trail mix and that hint of orange seemed to make the dish even more flavorful. If you aren’t able to find orange cranberries you could try substituting half the lemon juice for orange juice or adding just the faintest amount of orange zest to the finished peas.

 

Print

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 12 ounces snow peas
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Juice of ½ lemon
• ⅓ cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped dried cranberries
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the snow peas and sauté until bright green, but not floppy, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot.

3.2.2802

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments

Today I have a simple and healthy dinner for you. Well, a dinner recipe. I am not standing at your front door with this dish, unfortunately, or fortunately if you don’t personally know me and me standing at your door would be creepy. Well I guess even if you do know me suddenly having me on your doorstep would be creepy even then, but I digress.

This roasted pork loin is what we’re here for! And it is delicious! A basic dry rub is pressed onto the meat before being seared in a pan to lock in the flavor and juices. The meat finishes roasting in the oven then topped with a creamy and tangy roasted garlic balsamic sauce and it’s ready to be served.

Matt and I usually eat fairly healthy, but I was unsure of where pork lies. After some thorough Googling I have deemed this dish a winner. Although there are certainly some cuts of pork that are not doctor recommended, hello delicious bacon and pork belly, a cut like pork loin is lean if you make sure to remove the excess fat. Additionally, it is a great source of protein and vitamin B! Yay vitamins!

Dry Rubbed Roast Pork Tenderloin with a Roasted Garlic & Balsamic Sauce

 

Print

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

for the pork

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon ground coriander
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 pound pork tenderloin
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

for the sauce

• 1 head garlic
• ⅓ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
• Salt and pepper

Directions

for the pork

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl mix together all the dry seasonings until well combined. Place the tenderloin on a cutting board and sprinkle the rub all over. Rub and gently press the seasoning onto the pork.
3. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the tenderloin in the pan for 10 minutes, using tongs to turn the pork and sear each side.
4. Transfer the pork to the rack of a roasting pan and bake for 20 minutes or until it reaches an internal temperature of 150-155 degrees F. Slice then top with the sauce before serving.

for the sauce

1. Cut the top off the head of garlic so that almost all the cloves are exposed. Place the head of garlic in a little square of tinfoil and curve up the sides. Lightly drizzle the garlic with olive oil then season with salt and pepper. Seal up the tinfoil to make a little packet. Roast for 35 minutes then let cool. Once it's cool enough to handle, squeeze out the roasted garlic cloves.
2. Blend the roasted garlic cloves and the rest of the ingredients in a small food processor or with an immersion blender until smooth.

Notes

Make sure you note the first step in the sauce recipe (roasting the garlic) before starting the pork.

3.2.2802

Lauren Uncategorized 0 Comments