This Turtle Cheese Pie post is courtesy of our contributor Carolyn…’Tis the season for giving and baking and, while reviewing The Cheesecake Bible, I got to do both. Our community Festival of Lights and Christmas farmers markets were this past week and I gladly donated a cheesecake from George Geary’s cookbook for their bake sale.
I told my boyfriend what I was doing and he told me I was out of my mind. He would give the organization $100 and he would get to eat the cheesecake! I think he was missing the point but now I know what I can bake him when I need some brownie points.
I chose a Turtle Cheese Pie, mostly because I was unsure about packing and delivering a traditional cheesecake and I only had a springform pan, which is do-able, but George Geary recommends using a cheesecake pan. I got a pie plate with a plastic lid in a set of three from our grocery store – perfect for baking in and transporting to the bake sale. Geary also suggests using a paddle attachment to cream and beat the ingredients, another tool I don’t have. My aunty said I could use a larger rubber spatula and do it by hand; it takes longer, but is as effective if you have the patience. I think I have a few items to add to my Christmas wish list this year.
Turtle Cheese Pie:
I decided to freeze the Turtle Cheese Pie so it would keep better at the bake sale. Tips for storing and freezing, as well as several other tips in the cookbook, helped me through my first cheesecake jitters.
- Crust:
- 1 1⁄4 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- Filling:
- 2 packages (each 250 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 oz bittersweet chocolate chunks
- 3 oz soft caramels, quartered
- 1⁄4 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
- 1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
- Decoration:
- 3 oz bittersweet chocolate
- Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C)
- Crust: In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and butter. Press into bottom and sides of 9-inch pie plate (ungreased) and freeze.
- Filling: In a mixer bowl fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and sugar on medium-high speed until very smooth, for 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Fold in chocolate chunks, caramels, pecans and vanilla by hand.
- Pour over frozen crust, smoothing out to sides of pie plate. Bake in preheated oven until top is light brown and center has a slight jiggle to it, 25 to 35 minutes.
- Decoration: While pie is still hot, grate chocolate on top. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for 2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving.
This was as great experience for me that I was able to share with my son. I was able to show him another side of the holiday season, by giving back, and we got to spend some quality time making a mess in the kitchen.
The Cheesecake Bible has 200 recipes, including a holiday and celebration cheesecake section. I am heading to our good friends annual crab boil in a couple weeks and am debating between making the Peppermint Chocolate Cheesecake and remaking this Turtle Cheese Pie. Maybe I should just make both, what do you think?
Disclosure: I was compensated for this post; however, all opinions expressed here are my own. Courtesy of The Cheesecake Bible by George Geary 2014 © www.robertrose.ca Reprinted with publisher permission. Available where books are sold.