Ruby And White Chocolate Cheesescake

Here is where Mr P. and I differ: he adores white chocolate, while I love it thrillingly dark and sophisticated and bitter.  I keep telling him white chocolate is no chocolate at all:-)  But here I am making a cheesecake which is blessed with copious amounts of the stuff...

I recently got hold of some ruby chocolate, made from the ruby cocoa bean.  This chocolate is apparently made from unfermented cocoa beans with a natural red-pink colour, and a unique fruity flavour.  Crumbs, I sound like an ad, don't I?  Mm, truth to tell, I am a cynic at heart, and I wonder if the pink colour is real.  But hey, that's just little ol' sceptical Sherry talking:-)

so pretty - oops! forgot the nuts 

As ruby chocolate doesn't take well to cooking, I hunted around for a no-bake dish.  I found a recipe for white chocolate cheesecake submitted by Kay Orford, in the lovely Emmanuel Anglican College Ballina cookbook Our Ballina Table.  Kay's recipe is brief, and I have to say it has a few dodgy details (sorry my unknown friend), so I have adapted, blinged up and modernised her recipe.

    
ingredients:

the base:


150g. of plain biscuits - I used a mix of digestives and butternut snaps

75g. butter, softened (not melted) 


the filling:


250g. (8oz.) cream cheese at room temp.

250 mLs (1 cup) of cream - I used thickened

250g. (8oz.) mascarpone

55g.-110g. (/¼-½ cup) caster sugar (superfine if you are from the U.S.) - this is a very sweet filling, so you may want to use the lesser amount of sugar :-) 

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

250g. (8oz.) good quality white chocolate

250g. (8oz.) ruby chocolate - or milk chocolate if you can't find ruby


the top:

30g. pistachios or blanched almonds, chopped (optional)

60g. cranberries or raspberries or fruit of your choice - preferably one that has a bit of tang or acidity rather than a very sweet one

20g. ruby chocolate and 20g. white chocolate, grated or chopped to decorate


Method:


Blitz the biscuits in a food processor till they resemble breadcrumbs, or bash them in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin

Add the softened butter to the processor and zap away till the mixture starts to clump together; if you don't have a processor, I suggest melting the butter and combining that with the biscuit crumbs

Tip the mixture out into a 23cm (9 in.) springform pan that has been lightly buttered and lined on the base with baking paper

Use your hands or the back of a large spoon to push the crumbs onto the base 

Place in the fridge for an hour to settle down

When the hour is up, make the filling: place the cream cheese in the processor (or large mixing bowl), and give it a few pulses to break it up - or beat it soundly with your wooden spoon

Now add the cream, mascarpone, sugar and vanilla and whiz or beat as appropriate till smooth; divide the mixture into two separate bowls

Melt the two chocolates separately in microwave-proof bowls (the ruby chocolate took 70 seconds, and the white took 80 seconds)

Let them cool for a few minutes, then fold the ruby gently into one of the bowls of cream cheese mixture, and the white into the other bowl

Spoon the mixtures alternately onto the biscuit crumb base, and swirl with a knife; you want that lovely swirl of colours to show

Now scatter the fruit, nuts (if using) and grated chocolate over the top and refrigerate for several hours or overnight


Notes:


You can use ruby with white, or white with milk, or white with dark chocolate - your choice

I used frozen cranberries which I had thawed well (we don't have fresh ones here in Australia), but use your fave fruit

ingredients gathered

blitz the biscuits and softened butter together 

press the mixture firmly into the lined base of the tin 

beat the cream cheese etc together till smooth 

melt the chocolate(s) separately

pour the melted chocolate(s) into the cream mixture 

spoon and swirl the mixtures into the tin 

smooth out the top

decorate with the fruit and grated chocolate

ready to eat

     artwork © Sherry's Pickings

Triple Chocolate Bark

This is my last post for 2021.  And can I say how glad I am that this year is on its way out?  It has been tough, my friends, and I know many of you have had it tough too.  But I'm hearing D:Ream in my head: 'Things can only get better ... '  And I'm picturing that gorgeous Prof. Brian Cox who used to be in that U.K. band before becoming a world-famous physicist.  Some people have all the talent :-)   

This is a wonderfully simple and delicious treat.  And you can use any combo of chocolate you like.  White and ruby chocolate?  Oh yes.  Any kind of nut or bling you like.  Yep for sure.  Let it set, break it up and hand out to your loved ones wrapped up in cellophane, and tied with a pretty ribbon.  I went to a local newsagent the other day, asking for cellophane.  They didn't have any, nor a clue as to what it was ...  I felt like such an old fogey.  But I don't care, my friends.  My loooong and painful illness has made me realise that life is way too short to worry about stuff like that.  

triple chocolate deliciousness

Makes one large baking tray full!

ingredients:

200g./7 oz dark chocolate

200g./7 oz white chocolate

200g./7 oz milk chocolate

3-4 tsp thickened cream

a palmful of dried oranges, chopped

a scattering of dried rose petals, and 2 tsp of dried rose powder 

a big handful of walnuts, or nut of your choice, chopped

sea salt flakes, to taste - optional

lots and lots of bling!!

Method:

Grab a baking tray and line it with baking paper

Melt the dark chocolate and a teaspoon or two of the cream in the microwave, give it a stir, and pour it over one third of the paper

Then melt the white chocolate with a teaspoon of the cream, stir and pour that onto the next third of the paper

Now melt the milk chocolate and a teaspoon of cream, stir and spread that over the tray

Run a knife thru them gently so you get a lovely swirly effect

Over the dark chocolate, you place the chopped up dried orange

Then the rose petals and rose powder go over the white chocolate

And lastly, the nuts go over the milk chocolate

Sprinkle over the sea salt flakes if using

Now grab the bling, and go crazy over the whole shebang

Into the fridge to set, then break up and wrap up for friends and family - or just enjoy

Notes:

Toast the nuts in a low oven for a few minutes if you can be bothered - I didn't bother, so they're just raw and real

I used dried blood oranges 'cos they were in the pantry, which I snipped up with kitchen shears

Rose powder is optional

Our microwave is downstairs in the kitchenette, so the photos are from down there.  I had two baskets of ingredients and implements to take down with me!  And Mr P. washed up for me.  What a champion he is.

gather your bling

chop your nuts

off to the fridge to set

all blinged up and ready to eat

P.S. - In My Kitchen will re-appear in February!  I am taking a blog break.  Merry Christmas and a fabulous festive season to all!! xx

© Sherry M.

In My Kitchen - November 2025

Here we go again, my friends :=)  Halloween just left the building, and already Christmas shenanigans are squeezing through the front door.  October has been very weird, weatherwise.  We had a huge storm with a super-cell (and massive 7cm hailstones), then the next day was 38C, then the day after that it dropped to 23C, and lots of rain.  EEEK!  What's next?  The Apocalypse?    

oh my word, friends - we had a storm!

Oh boy, did we have a storm!  See the green layer?  Yep, massive hail in some areas (not ours luckily).  And a house which was being renovated came off its stumps in the 96 kph winds.  I think 70,000 homes/people were without power.  Weirdly, our power went off, but only for about 30 seconds.  Other poor souls lost it for hours (and days).  For some reason (geographical?), our suburb rarely gets the bad stuff!

In My Kitchen:

a gorgeous tumbler/pour cup - Snow Gum - from Magnolia Mountain 

mmm, yep another cookbook

the green matcha bikkies are like Tim Tams! but green, and matcha :)

a dear friend sent me these!  Ah childhood memories ...

I bought the best dukkah ever - again!

I had to buy me some more Dubai chocolate

I tried dark chocolate, milk chocolate and ruby chocolate versions.  Nah to the ruby for sure, and nah to the dark - but yay for the milk choc version.  Which is odd for me, 'cos I don't normally go for milk chocolate!  But it just worked here!

who could resist these cute bees on a tea-towel from Donna Sharam?

yep, we went to Tropical Fruit World :=)

and I got these

don't laugh, my friends - yes more wooden spoons, and a cute jug

new to me! - turtle chips (and I got some more pistachio spread)

bought this one - love his Instagram videos

the curveball - crabby wire sculpture by Russell Solomon

Well, that's it for this month.  See you in December.  Hoping to see you all here for IMK.  Everybody welcome!

c. Sherry M.

Be a part of our friendly IMK community by adding your post here too - everybody welcome!  We'd love to have you visit.  Tell us about your kitchen (and kitchen garden) happenings over the past month.  Dishes you've cooked, preserves you've made, herbs and veg. in your garden, kitchen gadgets, and goings-on.  And one curveball is welcome - whatever you fancy; no need to be kitchen-related.  

The link is open from the first of the month to midnight on the thirteenth of the month, every month.

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Happy Retiree's Kitchen 

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In My Kitchen - May 2019

May you say?  The month between hubby's April birthday and my own in June.  Heading into Winter at last, my fave season perhaps, here in (sometimes too) sunny Queensland.  I am a Winter baby, and I love being able to slap on a scarf and jacket.  Funny thing Life - with me ending up here where the sun shines most of the year.  Do you feel you are in the right place, my friends?  Or is it a bit of a mystery how you got there?  Truth to tell, I don't think I could cope with real Winters anymore, so just as well I'm here :-)

Enough of that mental meandering now.  Let's take a leap into the previous month's goings-on in my kitchen.  It was as busy as usual clearly, 'cos it just flew on by, faster than a Concorde jet.  Or maybe faster than a Virgin spaceflight, though less deadly.  Nope, you're never getting me into one of those things.  I like a bit of gravity in the morning:-)  

a beautiful blue ceramic bowl

Here we have another ceramic bowl I bought recently.  This one is made by Ruth Bruten, a Melbourne writer, cook and ceramic artist.  And mother of five!  A busy lady indeed.  I love its smooth roundness in my hand.  Happiness!

handmade pastries

I love these cute little baked pies.  So handy to have in the fridge!  I made quite a few, which didn't last long as Mr P. and I scoffed them down for lunches.

baked Brie

We had friends over for dinner one night so I popped a Brie with walnuts and honey on top into the oven for about 15 minutes till it started to run.  So delicious, folks.  Serve it with warm bread as a starter.

more wooden spoons!

Are you laughing Tiffin Fiona?  Yep I knew it.  Only one of these is for me though.  The white oak one is for my nephew who just gained his chef's papers.  The wood came from a Bundaberg Rum distillery vat!  And the silky oak is for me, origin unknown except for Far North Queensland.  The carver Ron makes wonderful implements from reclaimed woods all over the place.  Every time we go to Stanthorpe, we stop by Jersey Girls Café for a milkshake made with fabulous jersey milk, and I can't go past Ron's fab stuff. 

as per the label

Yep this is tartaric acid, not quite the same as cream of tartar apparently.  I had to hunt for this one, as it is not readily available.  I will be using it in a recipe soon, so keep an eye out for an upcoming post.

a cookbook!  told ya:-)

Remember I said last month I was expecting another couple of books?  Well, here's this one by Irris Makler, an Australian journalist based in Jerusalem.  Over several years, she collected the stories of Holocaust survivors who shared their family recipes with her, and now with us.  Thinking of the Holocaust reminds me of a young man we met in Hungary years ago over a cup of coffee.  He kindly invited us to stay at his flat in Vienna, which we did.  I got sick and we had to stay for a week (he must have been sick to death of us by then).  He regaled us over the week with tales of his neo-Nazi leanings.  Being laidback Aussies with not an anti-Semitic bone in our bodies, this was indeed a bizarre experience!  

local (ish) olive oil

Mr P. and I headed west a few weeks ago for a short break.  It's so good to get away from city madness, and head off to the country.  We pottered around, caught up with friends, and bought some local produce, including this extra virgin olive oil.  Surprisingly to many, it does actually snow in sunny Queensland; this olive oil comes from an area on the border with New South Wales where it does indeed sleet and snow now and then.

Easter treats

On Easter Sunday morning, we ducked out to the local chocolate shop to grab some last minute treats, handmade by the lovely chocolatier Jessica.  See the beautiful pink bunnies?  You may have heard of the latest craze - ruby chocolate, made from the ruby cocoa bean.  All very top secret as to how it is made!  Tastes like white chocolate with a fruity hit.  Really delicious.

my cute ceramic toad overseeing my kitchen

Last but not least is Ferdinand, my kitchen toad.  He is made and hand-painted by an artist in L.A. - Caroline McFarlane-Watts, who makes beautiful miniatures for Hollywood.  How could I resist this green beauty?  That's enough from me this month, so join in my friends with your kitchen happenings!


Please feel free to join us for this month's In My Kitchen link.  Everybody is welcome!


(Addendum to links for IMK: Inlinkz has changed its linking method due to the new EU data protection laws, so I can only add other people's posts on their behalf, in a list separate to the actual linky.  So, I will still have the inlinkz option up, but you have to either verify yourself through social media or create an inlinkz log-in.  I think you only have to do that once!  I will also have a list of posts for those who don't want to log-in, so if that means you, either comment with your details on this post, or email me with your post details and I will add it to the list - hoorah!)



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Sherrys Pickings

Malteser Bark For Easter

I know I've made chocolate bark before, and I remember something made with Maltesers, but it hit me that this bark would be a splendid idea!  And to be frank ("I told you not to call me Frank!"), I'm looking at something quick for an Easter post.  April is going haywire.  Birthdays, and blog posts, and writing competitions, and overnight guests etc etc ...

My cousin sent us a lovely little Easter parcel with gloriously dark chocolate, so let's melt it and smother it in broken-up Maltesers, folks.  I was going to use puffed rice thinking it would be 'healthier' than rice cereal but checking the ingredients, I found the Rice Bubbles to be 91% white rice, whereas the puffed rice is 79% rice flour.  Mmm, I didn't like the sound of that, so Rice Bubbles it was.  Maybe it doesn't matter, but who knows?

chocolatey ricy blingy!

ingredients:

300g./10.5 oz chocolate - Use milk, dark, white, ruby - your fave!

150g./5.3 oz Maltesers, smashed up

20g./0.7 oz puffed rice cereal

Lots of Bling!

Method:

First melt your chocolate - I do it in the microwave

Spread it over a baking paper-lined tray

Throw the smashed up Maltesers, the rice cereal and lots of bling all over the chocolate

Whack into the fridge to set, then chop up/break it up as you please

Wrap in cellophane for a lovely Easter gift

Notes:

Lindt 70% dark chocolate is my go-to, but go ahead, make your day!  Use your fave kind, or use more than one kind and swirl 'em around

I blitzed the Maltesers in the food processor, so I ended up with big bits, little bits and some dust

oops! I've jumped ahead - melt the chocolate and blitz the Maltesers

ingredients

all blinged up

and ready for cutting/breaking up

delicious

eat 'em up

© Sherry M.