There's something elegant about a layered dessert. When it's presented on your plate, you can take a look at a medley of ingredients stacked together and just imagine how they'll taste together. Then, a moment later, you take a luscious bite to see how well you've imagined the flavor.
This month, I'm offering a special recipe that was born out of a gift of raspberries from my mother's garden. The raspberry patch hasn't been as prolific as it has been in years past since the cold, dry winter damaged many of the raspberry bushes. However, a small bowl of them accompanied me home recently after a nice visit. And, in an effort to make the most of them, I split the batch between cereal in the morning and a dessert that features both raspberries and chocolate -- a match made in heaven.
If you are serving dessert to a crowd, you can easily double the recipe and make it in a 9 x 13-inch glass baking pan. Store any leftover dessert in the refrigerator and use within a couple of days ... like that will be hard to accomplish!
As always, I encourage you to share your recipe ideas and comments. You can always post comments in the discussion board using the forms provided in the articles or email me directly at . Enjoy!
Black-Bottomed Raspberry Cheesecake Pie
- 1 (3 oz.) pkg. raspberry gelatin
- 1 1/4 c. boiling water
- 1 1/2 c. fresh raspberries
- 1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 oz. raspberry liqueur
- 1 (6 oz.) prepared chocolate graham cracker crust
- 1 (8 oz.) fat free cream cheese
- 1 c. powdered sugar
Place the gelatin in a medium bowl and pour the water over it. Stir briskly until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Add the raspberries and stir to completely cover. Place in the refrigerator and chill for about an hour or until slightly thickened.
Meanwhile, combine the chocolate chips and raspberry liqueur in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds on HIGH and stir. Continue microwaving for 30 seconds at a time until completely melted. Pour the mixture into the bottom of the crust.
Beat the cream cheese until smooth and add the powdered sugar, beating until thick and smooth. Spread the mixture over the chocolate.
Pour the slightly thickened gelatin mixture over the cream cheese. Place the pie in the refrigerator and chill for at least 3 hours before serving.
- Yields: 8 servings
- Preparation Time: 1 hour plus chilling time