Cocoa Butter: Cranberry Cheesecake...

ALRIGHT! This will be the last cranberry post! [until we get closer to Thanksgiving]...because, well, I have used up almost all of the cranberries I have now. This bonbon is an ode to one of my favorite things: cheesecake [which as we learned last post, is a custard] So, to add a fun textural and flavor contrast, I made a white chocolate cream cheese ganache, and then topped it off with a cranberry gele [gel-ay] made using PECTIN. I explained to you before that pectin is a naturally occurring [in fruit] substance that causes gelling [similar to gelatin and agar, but with its own specific properties] pectin reacts with acid and heat and sugar, and creates beautiful and delicious geles! In the recipe that follows, you will need to use pectin to make this gele, but if you would like an alternative, I will be making a gele with gelatin sometime next week, and you can easily sub that in instead of this recipe *please note: this gele recipe is adapted from Chocolates & Confections by Chef Peter Greweling*
!

White Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake Bites

Cream cheese ganache:

White chocolate: 290g

Cream cheese: 100g

Cranberry gele:

Cranberry puree: 80g

Apple sauce: 40g

Glucose syrup: 20g

Sugar: 10g

Pectin: 4g

Sugar: 120g

Glucose syrup: 35g

Lemon juice: 4g

1. Bring cranberries, apple sauce, and glucose to a boil.

2. sprinkle in 10g sugar and the pectin. Bring to a rapid boil stirring constantly

3. Add in the remaining sugar and Glucose syrup and boil until it reaches 223 F, stirring constantly.

4. stir in the lemon juice.

Pour out into a "frame" that is lined with parchment paper. allow to set [1 hour or overnight in the fridge]

now start on the ganache...

1. Slowly melt the cream cheese over the stove, and bring to a boil. Cool to 105-110 F

2. Pour cream cheese into melted, tempered white chocolate and stir until homogeneous- pour out into frame on top of the cooled, set cranberry gele. allow to set 2 hours or over night.

When cooled, flip the frame, and cut into 1/2 inch squares, dip in dark chocolate, and sprinkle cinnamon on top :]