The Last Woot of Summer - Episode 57

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Ben is back in WA, but the New York stories continue...

Latte: Abby is working on Strata Sphere, Lisianthus, and an old UFO, Tree of Life socks. This required re-learning to knit backwards. Abby's favorite instructions for doing this maneuver can be found here. She also cast on Anemoi Mittens and had some real challenges with the Tubular or Italian cast on.  Ben is knitting a bowtie (bowties are cool), Daybreak and the Java socks.

Grande: Abby finished her Intrepid Traveller socks, which she has named "Psockadelic".

Ben fondles the yarn at Brooklyn General

Home of egg creams and insane sundaes

Chai: Ben joined the Men's Knit Night at Knitty City. The next day, we journeyed to Brooklyn General with our friend Deborah, and we met Maria, host of Subway Knits there. We enjoyed some decadent desserts at the Brooklyn Farmacy, where it was too dark for Abby to knit backwards with black yarn. She wished she had her Stitch Light from Buffy Ann Designs. We ended the night, after a detour to Uniqlo, at the Columbia Knitting Group.

Caffeinated: We baked a cheesecake! Have a look:

The recipe is from Cheesecake Madness by John J. Segreto. This book is out of print, so we're going to share the recipe with you here:

Macadamia-Mocha Cheesecake

Crust: 

1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs

1 cup finely ground macadamia nuts

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 lb sweet butter, softened

Filling:

1 cup granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened

8 ounces semisweet baking chocolate (the best quality you can find)

1 tsp. instant coffee, dissolved in 1 tsp. hot water

2 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 cups sour cream

3/4 cup chopped macadamia nuts

4 Tbsp sweet butter, melted

Topping:

1 cup heavy cream, whipped

1 ounce semisweet baking chocolate (to make chocolate curls)

1/2 cup whole macadamia nuts

Pan: 10 inch springform pan

Crust: In a medium size bowl, combine the chocolate wafer crumbs, ground macadamia nuts, cinnamon, and butter. Blend well with fingers, fork or pastry blender. Press or pat the mixture onto the bottom and sides of a well-buttered springform pan. Chill in the freezer or refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Filling: In a large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs until light and smooth, then beat in the cream cheese. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler and add to the mixture. Add the dissolved instant coffee, the cocoa and the vanilla and continue to beat until very smooth. Beat in the sour cream and chopped macadamia nuts. Mix in the butter, then pour the mixture into the chilled springform pan and bake in a preheated 350  degree oven for 45 minutes or until it is firm around the sides and jiggly in the center. Transfer to a wire rack to cool, then chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or more.

Topping: Prepare chocolate curls. When almost ready to serve, remove the sides of the springform pan, then decorate the top of the cake with whipped cream, chocolate curls and whole macadamia nuts.

More caffeinated: Abby will be teaching Knitting at the TNNA booth at the Maker Faire in Queens on Sunday, September 18th. It's a fantastic event you won't want to miss, with something for everyone -- really!