another cheesecake?

Another cheesecake... boy, oh boy, loyal readers... if we're not careful we're going to get a reputation!

We were recently asked to create a cheesecake for a client who "loves peanut butter." Now, peanut butter is a flavor that we also love, here at orenji catering, so we were all too happy to experiment with flavor combinations until we got it just right. Off to the test kitchens!

We started with a crispy bittersweet chocolate crust, on which we baked a think layer of dense peanut-butter infused cheesecake. This layer of cheesecake was sweet, rich, and creamy, but would have been overpowering if it had composed the entire cheesecake. Our philosophy for cheesecakes is that they should be lighter and less sweet-- sweet enough to be enjoyable and delicious, but not so sweet that they are overly cloying. Therefore, in this case, we opted for a two layer cheesecake-- the first being the layer infused with peanut butter, the second being a lighter layer redolent with the deep flavors of Tahitian vanilla bean.

The two layers of the cheesecake worked well together, leaving a light and slightly sweet flavor on the palate. To add a burst of flavor, and a delightful textural contrast, we topped the cheesecake with chunks of peanut butter cups, and drizzled it with Belgian milk chocolate to "cement" the candy in place. It was both beautiful and delicious!