Since moving into the new house almost a year ago, we have been waiting for just the right opportunity to play hosts at a dinner party again. Sure we've had a couple of small gatherings, summer BBQs and house parties, but both Ryan and I love showing off our culinary skills so much that a big dinner was high on our list of priorities.
Fortune would have it that we agreed to host Christmas dinner. Everyone in Ryan's immediate family were all getting ready for a wedding on the 27th and my parents were already going to be here. Plus with it being our first Christmas as our own little family unit we didn't really want to be anywhere else but home - it just all made sense.
Ryan volunteered to take care the main bulk of the the cooking (he had a brand new gadget - a sous vide - which he was / still is obsessed with) so I offered to sort out the pudding.
Wanting to be in keeping with the season I trawled the internet for good crowd-pleasing no-nonsense desserts. Then I came across this one on the BBC Good Food website. Incorporating a seasonal chocolate of choice and with a recipe that wasn't too unfamiliar to me, we headed to our local supermarket to stock up....
Only to find that several of the ingredients I needed were unavailable! With a disaster looming in the horizon I quickly made the decision to substitute a few things. And actually, it turned out beautifully.
Substitutions:
The creaminess of the Lindt added a rich and decadent flavour to the cheesecake filling that was creamy but not heavy. There was not much difference in taste in the base, but every now and again you would get an extra hit of chocolate.
This cheesecake went down a treat with everybody and has been my most successful dessert to date. It easily served six of us with some left over so is definitely perfect for dinner parties or if you are having guests over. Making the filling does get a little bit fiddly, but the end result is well worth it.
If you decide to give this dreamy dessert a go, let me know in the comments!
Mmmm this looks delicious! I love chocolate orange but the Mr won't go near it, so more cheesecake for me! Hurrah!
ReplyDeleteSarah :)
Saloca in Wonderland
I think quite a few different types of chocolate would work too - the Lindt was a happy accident and I'm really intrigued to try different flavours in the range to see how they turn out.
Delete.... if you do fancy making a choc-orange one though I would only be too happy to help you eat it!
Jackie O xo