photo credit: haldean

When I ran across a recipe for Chocolate Italian Honey Cheesecake years ago, I knew that I had to try this one!  After all, it has one of those marvelous Toblerone chocolate bars in the recipe.  You know the ones – they come in triangular wrapping and the packaging has a picture of the Matterhorn and a bear in the logo.

Well, maybe this should actually be called a Swiss Honey Cheesecake because Toblerone chocolate is only made in Bern, Switzerland where it was made by Mr. Jean Tobler and his son in 1908.  The marvelous Toblerone not only contains the highest quality cocoa beans, but it also contains almonds and honey.  Plus, the powdered milk used in the recipe must come from Switzerland so the quality remains at the highest level.

However, the recipe says Chocolate Italian Honey Cheesecake, so we’ll continue to call it that.  Ricotta cheese is one of the ingredients, too, so that’s where the Italian comes into play.

In your 9 inch spring-form pan, combine 1 3/4 cups vanilla wafer or animal cookie crumbs with 1/3 cup melted butter and press into the bottom and sides of the pan.

Beat together 24 ounces of ricotta cheese, 2 tablespoons of honey and 2 large eggs until smooth.  Heat 2/3 cup of heavy whipping cream to a low boil.  Remove from heat and stir in your 8 ounce Toblerone chocolate bar that you have broken into pieces.  Cool slightly and blend with the ricotta mixture.  Spoon this into your pan and bake your Chocolate Italian Honey Cheesecake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of honey over low heat and stir in a cup of granola cereal.  Spread this over your partially baked cheesecake and return it to the oven for an additional 15 minutes.

Place on a rack to cool before you remove the sides of the pan.  Wrap and chill until it is time to display your masterpiece – Chocolate Italian Honey Cheesecake!  Mangia Bene!

photo credit: stu_spivack

Chocolate Italian Souffle Cakes are surprisingly easy to make, yet they always impress dinner guests who can’t imagine making them themselves.  You must be sure to use a good quality chocolate, as that is the star of the Italian dessert.

The very best chocolate I ever tasted was a bar of chocolate that my good friend brought back from Perugia, Italy.  It was so creamy and had the tiniest little bits of chopped hazelnuts throughout.  It was heaven on earth.  That was some years ago, and I still have the wrapper.  The artwork on the wrapper is so gorgeous, and every time I run across it in my “junk” drawer, I smile.  Perugia is the chocolate mecca of Umbria  and they are best known for their Perugina Chocolate Factory that produces chocolate hazelnut truffles called Baci - translates to “kisses”.

Would you like to visit a Chocolate Italian Fair?  Each January there is a FREE chocolate fair in Florence where you can meet all the wonderful chocolate masters of Tuscany and sample their incredible homemade chocolates.

This Chocolate Italian Souffle recipe comes from Cinzzetti’s Italian Market Restaurant.  If you are lucky enough to live near Denver or Kansas City, you must visit this amazing place.  You will find every kind of Italian specialty food imaginable and a fabulous restaurant in an “Italian”  villa!  If you would like to learn more, click here.

In the top of a double boiler, put 8 ounces of chopped bittersweet chocolate and 8 ounces of diced butter.  Stir until all is melted and combined.  Whip 6 eggs with 4 ounces of fine baker’s sugar (or regular sugar) until light and fluffy.  Mix in an ounce of sifted flour.

Very gently, but thoroughly, fold the chocolate mixture into the whipped eggs.  Try not to lose the volume of the whipped eggs.

Spray 12 ramekins or muffin tin cups with non-stick spray and pour in your batter.

Bake at 325 degrees for 9-12 minutes.  Serve immediately.  I always serve mine immediately, but the recipe says you can make them ahead of time and reheat them at 325 degrees for 2 or 3 minutes.  That sure would be less stress for the cook, but I wonder if they would be as good.

Maybe you will consider making these Chocolate Italian Souffles at your next dinner party.

Watch one of my favorite chefs – Mark Bittman – make them here!

Mangia Bene!  Happy New Year!