It’s nice to have friendly neighbors that will look after our home when we are gone. When we went on our Spring Break trip, our neighbor, Tim, looked after our house, fed The Cat That Won’t Die, and even cut our lawn. It helps that he owns a lawn care service.
Tim (and his other half, Susan) have two large dogs. Susan was working in Brazil so Tim was on his own for a few weeks.
Tim with Maggie. Maggie is the friendliest 100-pound dog you will ever meet. When she sees you, she comes running to greet you. Sometimes I’m afraid she’s going to knock me over, but she always stops just in time.
Tim with Ginger. Ginger is also a sweet dog. The two of them often ride in the truck with Tim.
When we got home, I went to pay Tim for cutting our lawn (which he did twice).
He refused to take money from me. He asked if I would make him two (one for each lawn cutting) cheesecakes. He loves cheesecake.
I agreed. Seemed like a really good deal to me.
Cheesecake Like Sara Lee’s.
I have two different cheesecake recipes posted on my blog. Cheesecake is NOT one of my favorite desserts. I find most of them to be too dense and heavy on the stomach. I posted my Cheesecake Like Sara Lee’s because it is a light and slightly tangy cheesecake. Tim really liked it.
The other cheesecake recipe that I have posted is Cheesecake with Port Wine Ganache made in ramekins. This is a knock-off recipe from one that is served in a restaurant we like. Tim does not drink or smoke. I knew he wouldn’t like the Port Wine flavoring in the ganache. So I made it as a whole cheesecake with a simple ganache topping and have included the recipe below. You can refer to the original post for the complete step-by-step.
Cheesecake with Ganache Topping – ingredients.
Graham Cracker Crust lined springform pan.
Cheesecake that has been baked and covered in the ganache topping.
Cheesecake With Ganache Topping – ready to eat.
This is a denser cheesecake than the Cheesecake Like Sara Lee’s – two totally different versions. Both yummy. Tim really liked this cheesecake, too.
The biggest problem was that Tim wouldn’t share them with Susan. I might have to make a third one so she can get a piece!
Cheesecake with Ganache Topping Serves 8 (or one hungry lawn care guy) Crust: Filling: Ganache: Preheat your oven to 300° F. In a small bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Pat into the bottom of a springform pan. Set aside. Beat together the cream cheese, sugar, and salt in the large bowl of an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth scraping down the sides of the bowl several times. Turn the mixer on high and continue beating until light and creamy. Add the sour cream and vanilla and mix on medium speed until well blended. Add the eggs and beat just until combined. Do not overmix. Pour over the graham cracker crust into the springform pan. Gently tap the pan to release any air bubbles. Bake in a preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes. The center will be a little loose and only slightly pulled away from the side. Allow to cool on a rack. While the cheesecake is cooling, prepare the ganache by melting the cream and the chocolate together in a microwave on 60% power for 60 seconds. Stir until the chocolate and the cream are smooth and shiny and all of the chocolate pieces are completely melted. Allow to cool for a few minutes. Gently spread the ganache evenly over the cooked and cooled cheesecake. Refrigerate until completely cooled, about 4 hours or overnight.
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup sugar
½ cup (one stick ) butter, melted
2 8-ounce bricks of cream cheese softened to room temperature
½ cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
¼ cup sour cream
1½ tsp vanilla (or vanilla bean paste)
2 eggs
½ cup heavy cream
2/3 cup (or 6 ounces) bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces
