The family is scattered all over the country, so...

Barbarian

Barbarian

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.we've been teleconferencing. Someone thought a cheesecake competition would be a good idea. My entry:
Theobroma Overdose
49727974483_6b269ec585_b.jpg

Crust is chocolate filling Oreos, processed with melted butter.
Cheesecake is pretty much standard, but with melted semi-sweet chocolate and a bit of heavy cream folded in.
There's a layer of hardened dark chocolate sauce just above the cheesecake filling
Topped with chocolate whipped cream and dusted with curls of dark chocolate.
 
That looks great!
Yeah,
I've missed making food for my friends to share.
Was planning on making some candies/truffles for my Sunday School class for Easter...guess what is not going to happen.
*Sigh*

But great job on the cheesecake ?
 
Barbarian said:
.we've been teleconferencing. Someone thought a cheesecake competition would be a good idea. My entry:
Theobroma Overdose
49727974483_6b269ec585_b.jpg

Crust is chocolate filling Oreos, processed with melted butter.
Cheesecake is pretty much standard, but with melted semi-sweet chocolate and a bit of heavy cream folded in.
There's a layer of hardened dark chocolate sauce just above the cheesecake filling
Topped with chocolate whipped cream and dusted with curls of dark chocolate.
Click to expand...
Shipping is still an option, right? Maybe I can send my address.....?
 
Ingredients:

CHEESECAKE
12 Oreos, the kind with chocolate filling, not white
4 tbsp. melted unsalted butter
12 oz of regular cream cheese, softened
1/3 c. sugar
1 tbspn heavy cream
1 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1 c. bittersweet chocolate chips, melted

CHOCOLATE SAUCE:
1/4 c. melted semisweet chocolate chips
3 tbsp. heavy cream

CHOCOLATE WHIPPED CREAM
3/4 c. heavy cream
3 tbsp. Dark chocolate syrup
Dark chocolate bar to grate over whipped cream
Sprigs of fresh mint.

Directions
  1. Oven to 350°.
  2. 12 muffin tins with paper liners.
  1. Use blender to crush Oreos. Transfer to a bowl and pour in melted butter. Mix well. Press about 1 tablespoon of crumb mixture into the bottom of each cup.
  2. Make cheesecake: Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, cocoa powder, tbspn heavy cream, and salt until light and fluffy. Add in 2 eggs and beat until smooth. Fold gradually, melted chocolate into the mix.
  3. Pour cheesecake filling over crust in cupcake cups.
  4. Bake 12 to 14 minutes, until just jiggly in the center of each cup.
  5. Cool for a few minutes, then refrigerate until cold.
  6. When they are cold, place semisweet chocolate chips and heavy cream into a microwave-safe dish and heat for 10-second periods until chocolate is softened; stir until mixed well.
  7. With about 1 tablespoon chocolate sauce,cover top of each cheesecake. Return to refrigerator to cool for 15 minutes.
  8. In a large bowl, beat ¾ cup heavy cream with chocolate syrup just until stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes. Top each cheesecake with chocolate whipped cream and. Pastry bag with star tip helps a lot.
  9. Using a cheese grater grate curls of dark chocolate over the whipped cream.
  10. Garnish with fresh mint leaves.

 
I'm behind right now; they have it on Facebook, and the picture they used isn't very good.
 
Barbarian said:
I'm behind right now; they have it on Facebook, and the picture they used isn't very good.
Click to expand...
Food stylist is an art form.
Back when I was in food shows going up against other chefs I talked with a couple food stylists and then to a professional photographer who specialized in real food pictures. (Film days... before digital cameras) and he told me a few tricks to do with a 35mm.

It's work to set up a shot of real food. Have to have the special filters and polarized lights. I had a bunch of pictures of my work but my ex-wife destroyed them.

Today with the digital I'm absolutely lost. No clue how to do it.
You might...but I can't.

But tonight's dinner was pomme gratin, NY Strip, and orange poundcake.
 
JohnDB said:
Today with the digital I'm absolutely lost. No clue how to do it.
You might...but I can't.
Click to expand...

It's actually easier. You can set the ISO (used to be called ASA or DIN) as you need, and also set the white balance for whatever light you're using, or just go with auto white balance.

Polarizing filters work just as they do in film. This picture:
49727974483_6b269ec585_b.jpg

Was actually done with a Samsung 9 cell phone. Overhead was a slightly warm ceiling light, and to the left was a large open window. The result was a slightly warm image, that played up the creamy brown cheesecake. Notice that three of the shadows are a bit blue; that's because of the window light. The one not exposed to the window light is a bit warmer.

You can do a lot with 2 lights and something to diffuse the light. Polarizers are best to control glare, although it won't work with glare off of metals.

If you want to document your cooking inexpensively, but with a professional look, you could go with a light box:

Amazon.com : fotoconic Portable LED Light Box Photo Tent with Ring Light, 9 Inch 24cm Dimmable 3200K~6500K Warm White Lighting, 6 Color Backdrop for Product Photography Shooting : Camera & Photo

Amazon.com : fotoconic Portable LED Light Box Photo Tent with Ring Light, 9 Inch 24cm Dimmable 3200K~6500K Warm White Lighting, 6 Color Backdrop for Product Photography Shooting : Camera & Photo
tinyurl.com

The link is to a cheap one on Amazon, but they come in all sorts of sizes and features. Even simple set ups can work amazingly well.

I don't have a food example, but here's an image one of my students took with a simple 2-light setup.
42604322962_9309f1a73c_b.jpg
 
Last edited:
Barbarian said:
.we've been teleconferencing. Someone thought a cheesecake competition would be a good idea. My entry:
Theobroma Overdose
49727974483_6b269ec585_b.jpg

Crust is chocolate filling Oreos, processed with melted butter.
Cheesecake is pretty much standard, but with melted semi-sweet chocolate and a bit of heavy cream folded in.
There's a layer of hardened dark chocolate sauce just above the cheesecake filling
Topped with chocolate whipped cream and dusted with curls of dark chocolate.
Click to expand...
Please ....please stop the torture.
 
So, you don't want to see my entry for this week?

Cream cheese brownies...
49750366437_05079805ff_b.jpg

I don't like brownies much myself, because they usually have a gritty texture. These have a nice, soft crumb and are definitely not gritty.
 
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