“delicious autumn. my very soul is wedded to it, and if i were a bird
i would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns!” george eliot.
delicious indeed!
how sweet are these apple rose cheesecakes?
my sister sent me this recipe. you will find it at the end of the post.
i have so loved to bake on these cooler, dreary days.
i may be avoiding housework too.
yes we still have apples for you to pick this weekend…
our mutsus are the most plentiful.
oh these are such a fantastic apple!
i love them as a snack with nuts and cheese and also to bake with.
they store very well too!
a perfect apple to share…on a first date perhaps?
i did read somewhere that apple picking is on a list of
favourite romantic first adventures.
pick a few apples, meander down to the river,
marvel at mother nature’s magic, share a cup of hot cider…
the valley gets even more breath taking every day!
apple rose cheesecakes
this recipe makes 12 small or 6 large ish cakes
i treated myself to a mini cheesecake pan where the bottom is removable.
it was perfect for this!
a silicone muffin pan would be wonderful too.
you will need:
for the crust
1/2 cup of brown sugar firmly packed
1 cup of quick cooking oats
1/2 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of chopped nuts ..walnuts, pecans, or almonds
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 cup of cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of unsalted butter melted
for the filling
9 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup of sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
3 large cooking apples
idared, mutsu, cortland, golden delicious, jonagold
2 tablespoons of sugar
juice of 2 lemons
icing sugar for dusting
heat oven to 350˚f
combine the dry ingredients for the crust and mix well.
add the butter and combine thoroughly.
divide the mixture evenly into the muffin pan.
press down firmly to form a crust.
bake for 10 minutes and cool on a rack.
while the crusts are baking and cooling, make the filling…
whisk the cream cheese and sugar together until smooth.
add the egg and vanilla. beat until combined.
slice the apple in half lengthwise and core.
with a sharp knife or mandolin, slice the apple halves crosswise
very very thinly into flexible slices
that won't break when rolled up gently into a tube shape.
i soaked the slices in lemon…it softened them a little and helped to delay browning.
lay out 6 slices slightly overlapping, lengthwise.
roll up to form the centre of the rose.
this takes a little patience…sometimes i could only get 2 or 3 slices to roll together.
i just added to them after they were in the pan.
don’t worry…they will be beautiful!
make a rose centre for each cheesecake.
evenly divide the cheese mixture over the crusts.
place a rose centre in the middle of the cheese mixture.
starting from the outside of the muffin cup tuck in more apple slices,
peel side up in a concentric ring to meet with the centre, forming a rose shape.
repeat for each cake.
melt the butter and mix with the 2 tablespoons of sugar and the juice from 1 lemon.
brush the apple slices with the mixture.
bake for 30 minutes.
let cool for 1 hour in the pan before removing.
to remove, gently push upward on the pan from the bottom.
if you have used a regular muffin tin, run a thin sharp knife
around the edge and gently pry the cheesecakes out.
serve at room temperature or chilled, dusted with icing sugar.
did you know that george eliot, author of the lovely quote at the beginning,
is a pen name for mary anne evans?
she used a male name so that her work would be taken seriously in the 1800s.
i believe she would love our farm.
i wonder if she liked to bake.
looking forward to enjoying delicious autumn with you!
warm hugs,
laura
