there you have it
The second best thing about this cheesecake is that it prompted my discovery of Carr’s Whole Wheat Crackers (or, as the recipe charmingly calls them “whole meal biscuits”). These crackers, which go into the crust of this chocolate-hazelnut cheesecake, along with a good bit of butter and some finely grated bittersweet chocolate, are quite possibly my new favorite snack. They have the texture of a graham cracker, but they’re nuttier and only faintly sweet. They’re particularly good when topped with a chunk of sharp cheddar.
The very best thing about this cheesecake was the party that surrounded it: a make-your-own-pizza night, followed by bowling (and, yes, we realized that this was essentially a 12-year-old girl’s birthday party, but this group of grown-ups decided to embrace it). My friend Brynn brought a king’s ransom of toppings (Carmelized onions! Folds of prosciutto! Thinly sliced roasted peppers!) and individual portions of pizza dough, rolled thin and stacked between sheets of parchment paper, along with a caesar salad. All I had to do was whiz up some marinara and pesto and slice a few balls of mozzarella. The pizzas—some baked in our oven, others on the grill—came out great. No two were exactly the same and not one of us was disappointed.
The worst thing about this cheesecake was the inexplicable difficulty of finding hazelnuts in not one, not two, but FOUR markets. We traipsed around the north side in search of the little buggers, conscious of the gorgeous spring Saturday unfolding outside the windows of our car, before finally finding a few tiny packets of already-crushed hazelnuts that looked a little worse for the wear. Not perfect, but the sunshine beckoned: they would do.
So there you have it: the best and the worst things about this cheesecake. These cheesecake itself, by contrast, was just … well, fine. Nothing special, nothing disastrous. It was chocolately and rich, flecked with hazelnuts and dense. But the pizzas were better (not to mention those Carr’s crackers, the caesar salad, and my first game at the bowling alley, during which I bafflingly bowled over 100). Perfectly serviceable, but the next time I want a chocolate cheesecake, I’ll stick with this one.
The recipe for this Perugian-Style Chocolate Hazelnut Cheesecake is here.
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I’m kind of jealous that you are ‘just-discovering’ Carr’s whole wheat crackers—I’m totally in love with them!
Too bad about the cheesecake, but I guess worth it for the discovery.
Seriously, I’m moving in next door. Make your own pizza night, bowling, AND cheesecake? Sigh.
Wow! Your photo of the cake is far more appetizing than the original at Epicurious.
I feel your pain in having to search four locations for the key ingredient.
I wouldn’t normally even attempt this recipe for the same reason–who around here (Louisville, KY) even sells hazelnuts out of shells, I’d say. But, here’s the weird thing; I saw vacuumed packed imported hazelnuts at a Walmart Neighborhood Grocery last time I was there. And they were rather well priced. I darned near fell down with surprise. Needless to say, I am going back to buy them. But I’ll probably have to go somewhere else for the Carr’s.
Oh golly,
It looks heavenly, and I have such a weak spot for hazelnuts.
Having had your cheesecakes, I can imagine how decadent this was!
xoxo
You have just inspired me for a party! Thanks!
Dedication in finding the hazelnuts.
Sounds like a super fun evening! I need to make a new batch of pizza dough for the freezer…thanks for reminding me!
wow, this looks absolutely heavenly!
Carr’s wheat crackers are the ultimate!
My boyfriend and I like to eat Carr’s wheat crackers with peanut butter — it basically tastes like girl scout cookies.
That cake looks fabulous! What kind of spring form pan is that? It looks like the bottom is kind of raised.
Well I’ve been waiting for an excuse to make your chocolate cheesecake. Guess what is now in my oven? It smells divine and I can’t wait to eat it. Thanks for the recipe.
codfish: Don’t worry, I’m making up for lost time! : )
Chocolate and Toast: Will across the street do? Because there’s a new building across the street and it hasn’t filled up yet …
Sigari: Walmart? Who woulda thought? Maybe they’ll surprise you with the Carr’s too!
Gena: Why has it been so long since we ate cheesecake together? It’s on my to do list.
Katie J: Oh, good! Enjoy!
Whitney: Ha! Well, when I’m on a mission, I’m on a mission.
Tabitha: True, you can only go so wrong with chocolate and hazelnuts.
Jen: Another fan! Yay!
Elisa: Oh, I so did not need to know that. Dangerous. : )
Lori: It’s a Kaiser brand cheesecake pan. I didn’t realize the bottom was non-standard. Whatever it is, it rarely fails me.
jean: Lucky you! I hope you liked it!
Bummer that the cheesecake wasn’t more especially after all the trouble you went through to find hazelnuts!
~ingrid
I’ve just stumbled upon your website. What a treasure! Can’t wait to try some of these recipes. This cheesecake may be the first… I have always loved Carr’s Whole Wheat Crackers. Even as a kid, it was the less sweet cookies, etc. that really pulled me in. And I always ate these with cream cheese. How could I never have thought of them as my cheesecake crust!
Also, I have a recipe for what we call Graham Crackers that taste somewhat similar to the Carr’s Whole Wheat Crackers. If you’re interested in it, let me know.
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