Mini Margarita Cheesecakes

Gluten Free Mini Margarita Cheesecakes

Inspiration often strikes when you least expect it.  In this case my daughter was holding up a small pale yellow and green potholder.  Moments earlier her nimble fingers had been weaving colored nylon loops with painstaking precision.  Upon closer inspection of the four inch square, I could see that she had methodically planned out the pattern that was executed meticulously.   She rolled her eyes as I sang the praises of her brilliant work.  “It was easy”, she said.   Then she asked if I wanted to use it in my next photo shoot.  How could I refuse an offer like that?   My mission was clear.  I needed to find something that would be small enough not upstage the true star of this show.  The recipe also needed to contain colors that would compliment her work.  I swear that potholder began to speak to me.  Actually it was screaming … LEMON-LIME.  Lo and behold, the Mini Margarita Cheesecake was conceived. 

Crust Ingredients:

• 5 oz of gluten free Shortbread  Cookies ( crushed)
• 2 tbs Butter (melted)                           

Filling Ingredients:

• 2   8oz packages cream cheese (softened)
• 3/4 cup sour cream  
• 1/3 cup sugar
• juice of 1 lemon & 1 lime
• zest of ½ lemon and ½ lime

Topping Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp sugar
• less than 1/8 tsp salt
• zest of ½ lemon and ½ lime

Video Tutorial:

Instructions:

1. Place 12 liners into a cupcake tin. 
2. Crush the shortbread cookies into crumbs then mix the crumbs, and melted butter together in a small bowl.
3. Evenly divide the crust mixture into the cupcake liners.  A small flat bottomed glass can help in pressing the crumbs into place. 
4. In a large bowl add the sugar, ½ of the lemon & lime zests as well as the juice of the lemon and lime.  Stir to allow the sugar to dissolve.  Add the cream cheese and sour cream and mix thoroughly until you have a very smooth mixture.   You could use an electric mixer but if the cream cheese is fully softened it’s pretty easy to mix by hand.
5. Evenly divide the mixture among the twelve liners.  Use the back of a spoon to gently smooth out the tops.  Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours.  If you can make them a day ahead that’s even better to give them plenty of time to set.
6. While they are chilling, combine 2 tbs of sugar with less than 1/8 tsp of salt then stir in the remaining lemon and lime zests.  Sprinkle the tops of each cheesecake with a bit of the flavored sugar.  I like to wait until the last minute so that the sugar maintains its crunchy crystalline texture.

Gabi holding the inspiration behind the dessert.

In the end I saw several parallels between the potholder and the cheesecakes.  They both looked more complicated to make than they actually were.  They were both strikingly beautiful in their close-up shots.  And last but not least, they will both evoke delicious memories for years to come.  Thank you for the inspiration Gabi.

Chocolate Chili Spiced Truffles

It seems everyone is looking to beat the summer heat.  People are dashing towards swimming pools and ice cream stands trying to escape the rising temperatures.  But I thought maybe just for today we could abandon that fight and embrace those climbing temperatures.  Maybe we could even borrow a bit of inspiration from this scorching season to flavor a dark chocolate indulgence.  If we just add a bit of cinnamon and some fiery chili we could push our taste buds to the outer limits of reason.  Relax the spices are entirely optional so if you’re not the type that likes to indulge in the extremes of flavor then by all means leave the spices by the curbside.  Maybe while you’re out there the ice cream truck will drive by to rescue you.

Ingredients for the Truffles:

8 oz Dark Chocolate (60% - 80% cocoa solids)

1/2 cup Heavy Cream

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper

Ingredients for the mixture to roll the Truffles:

1/4 cup Unsweetened Cocoa

2 tbs Confectioner’s Sugar

1/4 tsp Cinnamon, 

1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepepr 

Video Instruction:

Chop up all of the chocolate into small slivers, place it in a medium bowl and sprinkle the cinnamon and cayenne over the chocolate pieces.   Now heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan until it just comes to a boil. Remove the cream from the heat and pour it over the bowl with the chocolate.  Let it stand for 2-3 minutes to give the chocolate some time to melt then stir until you have a very smooth glossy mixture.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2- 4 hours until the mixture sets. 

While the truffle mixture chills, combine the cocoa, confectioner’s sugar, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper, in a small bowl then set it aside.  The spices are optional.  If you’d prefer your chocolate unadulterated then by all means omit the spices. 


When the truffle mixture comes out of the fridge use a spoon or small scooper to dig out rounded teaspoon sized portions and drop them into the cocoa mixture.  Roll them into the desired round shape and then they are ready to serve.

On a hot summer day,  I find these truffles go especially well with a tall glass of iced coffee. Of course if you'd prefer some chilled Champagne, who am I to argue.