‘Tis the season to make the 2012 holidays full of cheer-- and there’s no better way to do that than with festive treats inspired by the creative minds at the Betty Crocker Kitchens. The Betty 10: Red Hot Holiday Trends spotlight the year’s hottest food trends, each with a delicious new recipe that adds a fresh twist to the holiday festivities. Whether food lovers are entertaining guests at home or bringing must-have treats to a party, Betty Crocker is helping them this holiday season with ideas and recipes inspired by today’s hottest trends.
What makes a trend red hot? When it's exciting, fresh and making its mark from coast to coast. “Our team of food lovers at the Betty Crocker Kitchens selected what we think will be the season’s most popular food ideas. Using the trends as inspiration, we created new recipes perfect for sharing at holiday gatherings,” said Kristen Olson, food editor at Betty Crocker. This year’s top food trends range from “Sweet Surprises” (traditional desserts with a surprise filling that adds a modern twist), to “Punched Up Punch” (batch cocktails like punch that are all about flavor - and helping the holiday host step out from behind the bar).
I'm happy to share one of the wonderful recipes, from Trend: Spirited Kitchen, where cooks and bakers everywhere are raiding the bar to add shots of flavor and amp up the fun in their creations. But they’re not just reaching for booze! Bitters are this season’s must-have ingredient. Just when you thought cheesecake couldn’t get any more delicious,the fantastic cooks added a flavorful update from the bar: a shot of bourbon and a few dashes of aromatic bitters. The perfect end to a special meal, that is just RIGHT at home down here in Louisiana:
Ingredients:
Crust
2 cups gingersnap cookie crumbs (35 to 40 cookies)
¼ cup butter or margarine, melted
Cheesecake
4 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
¼ cup Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
4 eggs
4 tablespoons bourbon
½ cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1 ½ teaspoons aromatic bitters
1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
Toppings
½ cup caramel topping
2 teaspoons bourbon
Dash aromatic bitters
Toasted pecans, if desired
Instructions:
1. Heat oven to 300°F. Grease 9-inch springform pan with
shortening or cooking spray. Wrap outside bottom and side of pan with foil to
prevent leaking. In small bowl, mix Crust ingredients. Press mixture in bottom
and 1 inch up side of pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool 5 minutes.
2. In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on
medium speed just until smooth and creamy; do not overbeat. On low speed,
gradually beat in sugar, then flour, then eggs one at a time, just until
blended. Remove half of the cream cheese mixture (about 3 cups) into another
large bowl; reserve.
3. Into remaining cream cheese mixture, stir 2 tablespoons
of the bourbon, the pumpkin, 1 1/2 teaspoons bitters, the ginger, cinnamon and
nutmeg with whisk until smooth. Spoon over crust in pan. Into reserved 3 cups
filling, stir 2 tablespoons bourbon, the vanilla and melted chocolate; pour
over pumpkin layer directly in middle of pan. This will create layers so that
each slice includes some of each flavor.
4. To minimize cracking, place shallow pan half full of hot
water on lower oven rack. Bake cheesecake 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 30
minutes or until edges are set but center of cheesecake still jiggles slightly
when moved.
5. Turn oven off; open oven door at least 4 inches. Leave
cheesecake in oven 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven; place on cooling rack.
Without releasing side of pan, run knife around edge of pan to loosen
cheesecake. Cool in pan on cooling rack 30 minutes. Cover loosely; refrigerate
at least 6 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
6. Run knife around side of pan to loosen cheesecake again;
carefully remove side of pan. Place cheesecake on serving plate. Stir together
caramel topping, 2 teaspoons bourbon and dash bitters. To serve, drizzle with
caramel and sprinkle with pecans. Cover and refrigerate any remaining
cheesecake.
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