A Slice of Life

There are times my mind gets so off-kilter with thoughts and worry for friends and family that nothing sets it right like immersing myself in a kitchen project. I decided on this particular worrisome day that a cheesecake was in order and before long I began to realize how much like a cheesecake that life really is.

There are plain cheesecakes and plain lives. Even though neither are embellished with extra goodness, they are still rich with quality ingredients and aren't nearly as simplistic as they appear at first glance.

There are those whose lives are likened to a rich, decadent, exotically flavored cheesecake. The same quality ingredients as the plain, but the extra frills make each bite of life sickeningly sweet.

And no matter how much patience, time and attention you dedicate to any flavor of cheesecake, there are times when, due to some cosmic kitchen disaster or outside life interference, it's going to have a momentary lapse of reason and crack wide open.


What if my life were compared to a cheesecake? It would be just like this Black Raspberry jewel with Chambord Glaze. Plain in appearance, but once you delve in, you'll find it slightly sweet and a bit fruity. Rich in things that matter, but not obnoxiously so. A hint of intoxication and only a slight few surface cracks but nothing that needs major repair.

If you find yourself pondering the meaning of life as compared to a cheesecake, try this one on for size and see how it suits you!

Black Raspberry Cheesecake with Chambord Glaze

Crust:
1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1-1/4 cup chocolate wafer cookies, crumbled (I used chocolate Teddy Grahams)
Filling:
2-1/2 pounds of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
6 eggs
17 ounces seedless black raspberry preserves
Topping:
1/2 cup sour cream
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons Chambord

Crust: combine melted chocolate and butter. Cool slightly. Stir in crumbs. Pat in bottom of a greased 10" spring form pan. Chill 1 hour.

Filling: Cream together cheese and sugar. Add flour and continue creaming, scraping down sides of bowl. Add eggs, 2 at a time, beating on low speed until blended. Blend in blackberry preserves. Pour into prepared crust and bake 325 degrees for about 60 minutes or until edge of cake is dry and rounded and begins to pull away from sides of pan. Remove from oven, cool and refrigerate.

Topping. After cake has cooled and has been removed from pan, combine topping ingredients until well blended. Gently pour over cake (tip: you may want to heat the combined ingredients in the microwave for about 30 seconds to make it easier to pour).

Cheesecake is best if made the day before serving.