Cheesecake!!!!!

I entered a contest on the fan page of a local cheesecake company called Decadence Gourmet Cheesecakes http://www.decadencecheesecakes.com. It was for any type of recipe (not just cheesecakes). I entered my recipe for Upside Down Cheeseburger Skillet Pizza…. Hold the phone I actually won! To make it even better the prize was six gourmet (individual) cheesecakes.

I went over to Business Incubator in Grand Junction and met with the owner and creative genius Lee Mathis to pick up my cheesecakes. I have to say that I have not met a more engaging and exciting person in quite some time, you can feel the passion for food coming off of this guy.

My prizes included four dessert cheesecakes and two of his new savory flavors.

Outer Banks (a decadent peanut butter chocolate cheesecake)
Tiramisu
Chocolate Chai
Blackberry Cabernet
Sun Dried Tomato
Bleu Cheese and Bacon.


I was very stoked!  I took the Outer Banks and the Chocolate Chai home for the family and left the other four at work for a cheesecake tasting event later in the week.

I have a wonderful wife and two very hyper boys (ages 11 and 6).  I thought those were the two flavors most likely to be appreciated.
I made a mistake but opening the Chocolate Chai Cheesecake first... there was a free for all in my Clifton kitchen. Wow... the incredible flavor of exotic spices and the delicious creamy chocolate was all my family needed to start clamoring over me for more, we literally had to come to order and take turns to make sure that everyone got the same number of bites. It was that good.
The reason I say it was a mistake is because we were all fat and happy with the chocolate chai and then we tried the Outer Banks. I was in heaven, I always think of the 70's TV commercial for Reese's peanut butter cups "you got chocolate in my peanut butter, you got peanut butter on my chocolate, two great tastes that taste great together" whenever I have the immaculate combination. I have a jar of peanut butter in my desk at work and I have a pb&j at least once per day. To say I love PB is an understatement.
The pairing of delicious cheesecake flavored with peanut butter and topped with chocolate was so rich and delicious that we had to stop and finish it later because we were in dessert paradise.
My family was very happy with my prize.

Later in the week I invited my foodie friends to a cheesecake tasting event at work. We had crackers and the remaining four cheesecakes (Blackberry Cabernet, Tiramisu, Sun Dried Tomato, and Bleu Cheese and Bacon).

My friends and I were again in food ecstasy.

The combination of Blackberry with a delicious wine was sweet and rich. There was no downside to this cheesecake, and I am again reminded how lucky I am that these cheesecakes are in four ounce jars, because I could have eaten myself into a coma.

The Tiramisu cheesecake was sweet, tangy and creamy. It is not my favorite dessert on a general basis but the petite serving size was perfect for enjoying a unique flavor.

Now to the flavors that I have been dying to try, Savory Sun Dried Tomato, and Bleu Cheese with Bacon.
For Clarification purposes the savory cheesecakes are not supposed to be eaten individually like the dessert cheesecakes, in my opinion these are more of a delicious spread.

The Bleu Cheese and Bacon was heady and flavorful with the tang of a good bleu cheese, and then the underscore of peppery bacon finished the bite and stayed with you and continued to think of the uses for the concoction. My first thought was as a topping a sizzling steak, the bleu cheese melting while the bacon and spices cover the delicious steak was making me drool at work. The other suggestions were using the spread in a wrap or on a bagel.

The Savory Sun Dried Tomato was delicious and smooth; I thoroughly enjoyed the contrast of the two different types of cheesecakes. The tomato was understated and the cheesecake was flavorful without being too rich.  Again this was be great on a bagel or in a wrap as well as on crudités or crackers.
All in all I am incredibly blessed to have been able to try so many new things and to be able to share them with my family and friends. Many thanks to Mr. Lee Mathis and his tasty ideas.