For Roger

These are not the greatest photos because they were taken in my pre-blogger days, but you get the idea. It's a cheesecake and it looks good.

AND (!) Mr. H made it all by himself !!!

Wanna know something funny? Prior to meeting me, Mr. h took a cooking class at one of the gourmet grocery stores in town. He learned how to make key lime pie, triple layer cakes, gateaux, pate brise, cream puffs, pastry creams, and this cheesecake. This is the only thing he has EVER made for me in the almost 10 years we've been together. And at that, he's only made it twice, with much begging and bribing on my behalf.

I think once we got together he decided he didn't need to make any of this stuff because he knew I would. And he's right, but wouldn't it be nice to be treated to a home baked goodie that I didn't have to make every once in a while? Yes. Yes, it would.

Also, I read (well, Mr. H read) that the guy who taught his pastry class passed away. His obituary was in the today's paper. Thanks Roger for your skills and for this recipe.

Brandy Alexander Cheesecake by Roger Mollett

• 24 ounces (3- 8 oz. pkg) cream cheese, softened
• 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, room temp.
• 1/4 cup Cognac
• 1/4 cup Kahlua
• 2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
• 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine cookie crumbs, 2 tbsp. sugar and melted butter. Mix all the ingredients well and press into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.

In a large bowl or in the bowl of your standing mixer, blend cream cheese and 1 1/4 c. sugar, mix til well blended and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time. Beat til smooth. Add cognac and Kahlua. Beat several minutes til well blended.

Pour the batter into the cookie crust. Bake for 1 hour or until the top of the cake is golden. The cake will rise a bit above the pan. Do not use a cake tester, as the cake will be over baked when the tester comes out clean. Turn off the oven and open the door partially. Keep it propped open using a wooden spoon in the door. Allow to cool in the oven for 1 1/2 hours. The center will firm up during this time.

When the cake has cooled completely, prepare the topping. Melt chocolate over a double boiler or in in the microwave on a low setting in a microwave safe bowl. Stir til completely melted. Allow to cool for a few minutes then stir in sour cream. Spread over cooled cheesecake. Refrigerate for 12 hours to allow the cheesecake to fully set.

To serve, remove sides of pan and place on a cake plate. Cut cake into 12 slices and serve.

NOTE: Keep knife wet and wipe clean after each slice to ensure clean slices.

We use Nabisco Chocolate Wafers for the crust. 1 box= 2 cups crumbs. But sometimes they can be hard to find, so use Oreos with the cream removed or pulverized chocolate Teddy Grahams if you can't find them.

Did you see the labels on this: Alcohol, Cream Cheese, Chocolate, Cookies and Sour Cream- YUM! What more could you want?