Sunday 15 September 2013

Cherry Cheesecake Shooters (Ree Drummond)


What on earth are shooters (besides being persons with a gun in their hand who shoot?). I knew they were some kind of drink and I eventually found out that a shooter is basically an alcoholic mixed drink. And a shooter is generally drunk quickly rather than slowly sipped. Hmmmm....But these Cherry Cheesecake Shooters aren't the kind of shooters that we speak of. They are cherry cheesecake in a glass, scooped and not sipped :)



I couldn't help being very attracted to this dessert when I saw them on Ree's homepage. Ree made them in wine glasses and they looked so elegant. I did not execute these shooters very well because I made some mistakes with the cherry topping. I used canned dark pitted cherries and sort of fused Ree's method (she used frozen cherries in her second version of the recipe) and the method I found at Joy of Baking. My cherry topping was not thick enough and was a little too sweet. And because it was quite fluid, it bled into the cream cheese.



As for the cream cheese part, I did not follow Ree's recipe as she used cream cheese and condensed milk. I am not very keen on condensed milk and decided to use Su Chan's recipe, the one for Tiramisu Cake.



After chilling these shooters for a few hours, I had a taste and it was very good. Other that the slightly too sweet filling, it was delicious. And because the crushed digestive biscuits are not mixed with butter, they are loose and crumbly and you have to be careful not to spill them when you eat. I had a mini disaster on my couch and had digestive biscuits all over my tee shirt and sarong.



Overall, this is a very easy dessert to put together. It looks elegant and it tastes great. Something that could be made a day ahead and one that will certainly impress your guests. And by the way, I had the last one for breakfast this morning, a terribly naughty thing to do tsk..tsk..tsk...










Cherry Cheesecake Shooters
Recipe source : Ree Drummond
(My notes and adaptations in red)

Ingredients :

-12 whole Graham Crackers (the 4-section rectangles) 
- 2 packages 8 ounce cream cheese 
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk 
- 1 can cherry pie filling 
- 1/4 cup slivered Almonds 

Method :
1. Put the graham crackers into a ziplock bag and smash them with a rolling pin until they're fine crumbs.
2. Spoon graham crackers into the bottom of mini wine glasses.
3. Add cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk to bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whip them together until fluffy.
4. Fill a pastry bag or zipper bag with the filling. Snip off the end and pipe a big helping over the crumbs in each of the glasses.
5. Top with a big spoonful of cheery pie filling.
6. Top with chopped almond flakes.

Ree's notes :
- Mix 2 tablespoons melted butter into the crumbs if you'd like them to be a little more moist
- Use whatever kind of pie filling you'd like.
- 1 package pf cream cheese makes for a mode udding-like texture; 2 packages makes for a thicker texture.

For my cherry filling :
Ingredients :
- 1 can 439g dark pitted cherries in syrup
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon sugar (I will omit in future as my filling was a bit too sweet)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- juice from half a lemon
- 1 tablespoon butter (in future I would omit this)

Method :
1. Drain cherries to separate the fruit from the syrup.
2. Use spoon to cut the cherries in half.
3. Pour the syrup into a saucepan and add honey and sugar. Bring to a boil and add butter. Simmer until slightly reduced and syrup becomes thicker.
4. Pour the cherries into the syrup mixture.
5. In a small bowl, add lemon juice and cornstarch. Pour into the simmering cherry mixture and stir until thickened.

For my cheesecake filling (Adapted from Su Chan's Tiramisu Cake):
Ingredients :
- 250g cream cheese
- 100g castor (superfine) sugar
- 3 eggs yolks (please use pasteurized eggs for your safety)
- 1 tbsp rum
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 250ml whipping cream, whipped

Method :
1. Beat cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl until light.
2. Add egg yolks one by one.
3.  Add rum and fold in whipped heavy cream.





I'm linking this post to Cook Like a Star, an event co-hosted by Zoe of Bake for Happy KidsBaby Sumo of Eat Your Heart Out and Mich of Piece of Cake. The featured chef for the month is Ree Drummond.

55 comments:

  1. Haha PH! You wear Sarong at home?! :D

    The dessert looks great! Something different from your normal recipes!

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    Replies
    1. Alvin, sarong is the most practical and versatile outfit to wear at home. Especially at the dinner table you can adjust your waistband when pigging out :D

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  2. ivy sew http://simplybeautifulhealthyliving.blogspot.com15 September 2013 at 18:55

    Overall, I think it still looks good and yummy. Well, anyway,thumbs up to you, Phong Hong :)

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    1. Thanks, Ivy! Can make improvement the next time. It was yummy all the same :)

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  3. I loves how this being serve in this individual cups. So lovely. I love upper topping....so sweetie yummy.

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    Replies
    1. Mel, can also make this in those small plastic disposable cups. No need to wash :)

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  4. Can I have a cup for my dessert after dinner now? look tempting!

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    Replies
    1. Sonia, this makes a good dessert (or breakfast hee..hee..)

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  5. aha! now I know, PH wear sarong la at home! salute! akak cannot wear sarong unless ada zip...otherwise satu rumah boleh mata juling when the sarong drop while cooking! ajajajaja...

    PH, nampak macam rumit la nak buat ni...tapi air liur dah menitis2 ni..
    baca bahan2 dia pun dah tau ni memang lazat punya...gambar yang last tu, ya adoiiii....make my sleep dont come easy laa....

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    1. Kak Q! Sarong lah paling best pakai kat rumah. Nyaman, boleh rasa angin tiup sepoi-sepoi :D Dessert ni mudah aje. Tapi nak buat cherry topping tu leceh sket.

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  6. Hi Phong Hong, hope you are feeling better by now...no more back ache! Love reading your post re: the 'shooter's...so funny! It does make you think of 'shooters'...such a weird name for a drink, and now for small desserts in small glasses.

    Your cherry cheesecake shooters are so droolworithy yummyliscious...I jus can't take my eyes off of them. Really and truly my kind of desserts...swapping them for even my chocolate favorites! Hugs,

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    1. Hi Elisabeth, my back is feeling lots better, thanks! These shooters are really worth making. Simple and yet so yummy!

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  7. Hi Phong Hong,
    I was eyeing this dessert too, but thought of using canned cherries too! Yeah, I like the name shooters!
    I would love to have one for my breakfast....when the kids are in school!! Haha! Hopefully I'll have time to make this.

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    Replies
    1. Joyce, I hope you will try these shooters. They are really delicious and your kids will love them!

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  8. Hi Phong Hong, I have a can of cherries, expiring soon,and too lazy to make a pie. This will be a quick way to get rid of it.

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    Replies
    1. Lian, yeah go ahead and use your canned cherries. A worthwhile effort this!

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  9. Yours look cute in those glass cups too. I like the colour!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks, Cheah! I bought these glass cups from Daiso because they were so cute.

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  10. Hi Phong Hong,

    Eating the last cheesecake for breakfast... naughty naughty!!! You remind of scenes of Nigella snacking at night at the end of some of her shows... but you are the Nigella in sarong!

    Zoe

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  11. Wow! beautiful looking dessert. nice clicks too

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  12. That looks good - nicer than at some cafes outside.

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  13. Phong Hong, these shooters are definitely very good for easy desserts when you have guests at home or even for yourself even if you are sneaking for something sweet with your sarong ;P Haha you are so cute. By the way, those glass cups looks so pretty with them especially when you can see the 3 gradient colour of this dessert :)

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    1. Hi Grace! I love wearing sarong at home. This dessert is really so easy to put together and nice to eat in front of the TV. Just need to be careful not to spill the crumbs :)

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  14. Looking Good and Never feel guilty about having something sweet for breakkie, especially that last DELISH dessert you made!!

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    1. Emily, I must not make it a habit hah! hah! It is back to soft boiled eggs for breakkie :)

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  15. I love how these cheesecakes are served in those cute little glasses!

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    1. Thanks, Mich! They are very elegant to serve to guests when entertaining at home.

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  16. PH, this is such a delightful dessert! I love playing with cookie crumbs & just made some desserts using crumbs & berries from couple of recipes I posted long ago. These are great for entertaining!

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    1. Thanks, Shirley! I'll go search for your recipes. I love this type of easy desserts.

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    2. Hey PH, Happy Belated Mid-Autumn Fest to you & family!

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  17. Hi Phong Hong, I "suka" your dessert! Really elegant and best to serve during party time!

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    1. Esther, also very nice to make some and keep in the fridge for own self to enjoy :)

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  18. Waaa.... cantik & sedap! Oh yes, I would love to have this for breakfast too! ;)

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  19. I want some for lunch as I am having lunch now:D It looks delicious!

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    1. Jeannie, make some lah! Keep in the fridge and eat anytime you like.

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  20. `yum! My kind of shooter! Not too much a fan of cocktails- pudding sounds better :)

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  21. Now this is the kind of shooter I love how gorgeous these are...and I might have to have seconds!

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  22. Looks delicious and presentable! Such a treat!

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    1. Oh, it is! I would like to make some more :)

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  23. HI Phong Hong, very delightful and delectable. Look so inviting.... wish I can have one now for my breakfast. :))

    Have a nice day.

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    1. Amelia, it is a very indulgent breakfast. Will be repeated hee..hee...

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  24. Sorry for the late comment, been so busy lately! Running around like a mad woman. These look simple and delicious, the kind of dessert u can make esp if u r having guests over.

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    1. No worries, Yen! I bet your kids will come in handy when you make this dessert :)

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