Located in Albany on Hamilton Street is an establishment called Cheesecake Machismo.  Ever since I'd been to Totem (see posted review) for sushi and found out that my favorite dessert there, the Green Tea cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache, came from that establishment it's been in the back of my mind to try and get a recipe to make my own.  So I did.  But I highly recommend their wares. 

I located a recipe on Epicurious; however, I opted not to make the tisane to go with it (though I may another time!) .  I was on a mission for chocolate. I found another recipe for chocolate ganache and just put the two together.  My cake looks different from the one that Cheesecake Machismo creates and I believe (though I haven't called to ask or confirm) that they use Matcha in their recipe.  I ground up the contents of several tea bags and sifted them through a fine sifter to get my green tea powder.  It doesn't have the color tint to it as you would using Matcha, but the flavor is still there.

Instead of using shortbread cookies as the recipe calls for, I used cinnamon sugar graham crackers beaten to a pulp and added butter (proportionately).  I always double the recipe of graham cracker crust because I feel it provides a stronger foundation when you slice it. 

The recipe called for Fromage Blanc and I'd never heard of it so I checked with my local grocery store. No dice.  I asked a fellow foodie and they directed me to what my next course of action was going to be anyway: The Honest Weight Food Co-op (which is where I should have gone in the first place).  They had fromage blanc made from both cow's milk and goat's milk.  I opted for the bovine version. 



I hadn't been to the Co-op since they remodeled so I was overcome with sensory overload.  I walked away getting more groceries than I intended, but I'll save that for another post.

The cheesecake batter was a little runnier than I expected and I was worried that somehow I'd messed up but I trusted the recipe and went with it.  I wasn't disappointed with the result.



I prepared the ganache towards the end of the baking cycle for the cake.  I allowed both to cool to room temperature and poured the ganache on top.  Then I placed the cheesecake in the refrigerator until morning before I took it to work.  The ganache  by that time had stiffened into smooth chocolately crust which was exactly what I was hoping to achieve.  




Ganache

• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 tablespoons whipping cream

Whisk all ingredients in small saucepan over medium-low heat until melted and smooth

(Following recipe text lifted from the Epicurious website which was from the January 2006 issue of Bon Appetit.)

Cake

• 1 cup (generous) ground shortbread cookies (about 6 ounces)
• 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature (do not use whipped or "light" products)
• 1/2 cup (packed) fromage blanc*
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons Japanese green tea powder** or 2 teaspoons finely ground green tea from about 4 tea bags

*Fromage blanc is available at some supermarkets, cheese stores, and specialty foods stores.

**Green tea powder is available at Japanese markets.

For cake:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Press cookie crumbs firmly onto bottom (not sides) of 8-inch-diameter spring form pan. Wrap outside of pan tightly with 3 layers of heavy-duty foil. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, fromage blanc, and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition. Beat in green tea powder until smooth. Pour batter over prepared crust in pan. Place cake in roasting pan; add enough hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of spring form pan.

Bake cake until set but center moves very slightly when pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour. Remove cake from roasting pan; cool 1 hour at room temperature. Refrigerate uncovered overnight. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)