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Black Forest Cheesecake

1 c Chocolate Wafer Crumbs

3 T Margarine, Melted

16 oz Cream Cheese Softened

2/3 c Sugar

2 ea Large Eggs

6 oz Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips *

1/4 t Almond Extract

21 oz Cherry Pie Filling (1 Cn)

1 x Frozen Whipped ToppingThawed

* Chocolate Chips should be melted. ~————————————————————————– Combine crumbs and margarine, press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees F., 10 minutes. Combine cream cheeseand sugar, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in chocolate and extract; pour over crust. Bake at 350 degrees F., 45 minutes. Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Chill. Top cheesecake with pie filling and whipped topping just before serving. 

Courtesy of Recipe to better Recipe's

Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce

Many people are afraid of hollandaise sauce, are you? Some think eating it will make them fat. (It will if you eat it every day, so don't eat it every day.) If you are like me, the thought of making hollandaise conjures up visions of toque clad chefs with big bowls and even bigger whisks swearing because the beautiful sauce they have spent the last several minutes vigorously whisking has separated on them, "Merde!"

I have been desperately afraid of making this sauce since forever. (Not afraid of eating it mind you, I've never met an eggs benedict I didn't like, or eat.) To overcome this fear I asked my friend Hank to show me how to make it. OMG. Hank's hollandaise didn't separate, and he didn't swear (any more than usual), but the work! The beads of sweat forming on this man's forehead as he whipped those egg yolks and butter into submission. I was dreading the attempt. Hank has arms of steel. I have arms of, hmmm, a young, willowy sapling? Whatever. Not steel.

The solution? Blender hollandaise. It's easy! Even I can do it. Which means even you can do it. So I encourage you to try it, if you like me have been intimidated by the thought of attempting this sauce. Use it over fish, steamed vegetables like broccoli or asparagus, or on top of poached eggs, bacon, and English muffins.

Easy Blender Hollandaise Sauce Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 3 egg yolks (see how to separate eggs)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
• 10 tablespoons butter

METHOD

1 Melt the butter slowly in a small pot. Try not to let it boil – you want the moisture in the butter to remain there and not steam away.

2 Add the egg yolks, lemon juice, salt and cayenne (if using) into your blender. Blend the egg yolk mixture at a medium to medium high speed until it lightens in color, about 20-30 seconds. The friction generated by the blender blades will heat the yolks a bit. The blending action will also introduce a little air into them, making your hollandaise a bit lighter.

3 Once the yolks have lightened in color, turn the blender down to its lowest setting (if you only have one speed on your blender it will still work), and drizzle in the melted butter slowly, while the blender is going. Continue to buzz for another couple seconds after the butter is all incorporated.

4 Turn off the blender and taste the sauce. It should be buttery, lemony and just lightly salty. If it is not salty or lemony enough, you can add a little lemon juice or salt to taste. If you want a thinner consistency, add a little warm water. Pulse briefly to incorporate the ingredients one more time.

Store until needed in a warm spot, like on or next to the stovetop. Use within an hour or so.

Makes about 1 cup of sauce, good for about 4-6 servings.

Eggs Benedict

Eggs Benedict  Making eggs benedict requires careful orchestration. You have to have warm, crispy bacon, hot buttered toasted English muffins, eggs poached perfectly to your desire, and a warm, creamy, unbroken Hollandaise sauce, all at about the same time. No wonder I rarely eat eggs benedict unless I'm eating out, my brain is scrambled enough as it is in the morning without having to juggle in the kitchen. That said, if you know how to toast an English muffin, know how to cook bacon, and know how to poach eggs, then the only element that is not your standard fare is the Hollandaise sauce, which is actually quite easy if you have a blender. There may be an occasion, such as Mother's Day for example, for which you might want to make a special someone, such as your mother, something special for breakfast or brunch. Eggs benedict is as special as they come. Believe me, if you make these for me, I will worship the ground you walk on. Eggs Benedict Recipe Eggs benedict is also great made with slices of smoked salmon in place of the bacon. If you are in or around New Jersey, try it with Taylor ham. INGREDIENTS 8 pieces of bacon or 4 pieces of Canadian bacon 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, for garnish 4 eggs 2 teaspoons white or rice vinegar 2 English muffins Butter Blender Hollandaise 10 Tbsp unsalted butter 3 egg yolks 1 Tbsp lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon salt Dash of cayenne or tabasco METHOD 1 Start with the bacon. Heat a large skillet on medium low heat. Add the strips of bacon or the slices of Canadian bacon. Slowly fry, turning occasionally, until the bacon is browned on both sides, and if using strip bacon, much of the fat is rendered out (about 10 minutes). Use tongs or a fork to remove the bacon from the pan, set on a paper towel to absorb the excess fat. Don't pour the bacon fat left in the pan down the drain! Either sop it up with paper towels when it has cooled a bit, or pour it into a jar to be used later (see rendering bacon fat). 2 While the bacon is cooking, bring a larage saucepan two-thirds-filled with water to a boil, then add the vinegar. Bring the water to a boil again, then lower the heat to a bare simmer. 3 Make the blender hollandaise. To make blender hollandaise, melt 10 Tbsp unsalted butter. Put 3 egg yolks, a tablespoon of lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender, blend on medium to medium high speed for 20-30 seconds, until eggs lighten in color. Turn blender down to lowest setting, slowly dribble in the hot melted butter, while continuing to blend. Taste for salt and acidity and add more salt or lemon juice to taste.Transfer it to a container you can use for pouring and set it on a warm – but not hot – place on or near the stovetop. 4 Poach the eggs. Here is an easy method for poaching eggs. Essentially, working one egg at a time you crack an egg into a small bowl and slip it into the barely simmering water. Once it begins to solidify, you can slip in another egg, until you have all four cooking. Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and let sit for 4 minutes. (Remember which egg went in first, you'll want to take it out first.) When it comes time to remove the eggs, gently lift out with a slotted spoon. Note that the timing is a little variable on the eggs, depending on the size of your pan, how much water, how many eggs, and how runny you like them. You might have to experiment a little with your set-up to figure out what you need to do to get the eggs exactly the way you like them. 5 As soon as all the eggs are in the poaching water, begin toasting your English muffins. If you can’t get all the muffins toasted by the time the eggs are ready, gently remove the eggs from the poaching water and set in a bowl. 6 To assemble the eggs benedict, butter one side of an English muffin. Top with two slices of bacon or 1 slice of Canadian bacon. You can trim the bacon to fit the muffin if you’d like. Put a poached egg on top of the bacon, then pour some hollandaise over. Sprinkle some parsley over it all and serve at once. Makes 4 one-egg one-muffin servings of eggs benedict.