Recipe to Snare your Ghouls
The glare of snow shimmers under the spell of a full moon, casting shadows 10 feet long that wave and distort through the wind blown banks gathered around trees in the wilderness. Ghouls and Goblins were not the utmost in my brother and I's imagination, but rather the reality of darkness when the moon would disappear behind a cloud just as the howl of a wolf would echoe through the wilderness and reach us from across the lake.
Hearing a crunching sound of movement coming at you with only a snow drift separating the distance from you and the fear.........no spiders, no bats, no witches, no brooms. No Dracula or Frankenstein beneath the dark moon....
For all that those demons that were in thought, they would surely have been frozen in the midst of attack for we two were Super Heroes with a deadly vapored breath living within the crystalized ice mountains ............only the Werewolf remained staining the whiteness of winters Halloween. deb.
But today our thought of being snared in the web of a spider is a delightful and dangerous alternative compared to a reality imagined decades ago. To hold and contain your favorite beverage may I recommend my hand painted Spider Webbed Pilsners.
Martha's Recipe to Snare Your Ghouls
No-Bake Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust
- Vegetable oil, cooking spray
- 18 ounces chocolate wafers (about 90), finely ground (4 1/2 cups)
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 6 ounces (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
For the Ganache
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate (preferably 61 percent), finely chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
For the Filling
- 32 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, cold
- Candy Spiders Optional
Directions
- Make the crust: Coat a 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Mix wafers, sugar, butter, and salt in a medium bowl. Pat mixture into pan, pressing firmly into bottom and all the way up sides. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to fill.
- Make the ganache: Place chocolate in a food processor. Bring cream to a simmer in a small saucepan, then pour over chocolate. When chocolate begins to melt, process until smooth. Reserve 2 tablespoons ganache for decorating, and spread the remainder evenly on bottom and all the way up sides of crust. Cover, and refrigerate until ready to fill.
- Make the filling: Beat cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low, and slowly add sugar and salt. Raise speed to medium-high, and beat until very fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in lemon juice.
- Whisk cream until medium-stiff peaks form. Whisk 1/4 of the whipped cream into cream cheese mixture, then fold in remaining whipped cream. Pour filling into crust, and spread evenly. Gently tap bottom of pan on counter to release air bubbles.
- Transfer reserved ganache to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch round tip. Starting in the center of the cheesecake, pipe a spiral, spacing lines about 1/2 inch apart. Pull the tip of a paring knife in a gently curved line from the center of the spiral to outer edge. Wipe knife clean, and repeat every inch or so to form a web.
- Cover, and freeze for at least 1 hour or overnight. Unmold cheesecake, garnish with candy spiders if desired, and serve immediately.
