Wonton Cheesecakes with Roasted Banana and Coconut Caramel

Hey guys!

This week I have a delicious recipe for you that received rave reviews from everyone who tried it! It's a simple Japanese style cheesecake (it only has 3 ingredients!) topped with a roasted banana spread and a coconut caramel sauce -- Yum!

Instead of making a crust for each one of these individual cheesecakes, I went to my local grocer and bought some wonton wrappers, which you can usually find in the produce section. They fit perfectly into the muffin tins, and make effortless crusts!

Look for these in your local produce section, usually around the pre-bagged salads

Ingredients:

Makes approximately 20 cheesecakes

Time: 1 Hour

• 1 package of wonton wrappers
• 3 eggs, separated
• 4.5 oz. cream cheese, separated
• 4.5 oz white chocolate 
• 2 medium bananas, or 1 large banana
• 1/2 cup coconut milk, plus 2 tablespoons
• 4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick)
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1 tsp coconut extract (optional) 
• pinch of salt
• 1/3 cup of toasted coconut, for garnish

For Roasted Banana:

1. Take your bananas, wrap in foil, place on oven racks and roast at about 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until you can smell the banana wafting through your kitchen.
   
2. Unwrap the bananas, let them cool, then beat the bananas with a spoon or a spatula until smooth. Add in a couple tablespoons of coconut milk to help smooth it out.

For Cheesecake: 

1. Melt white chocolate on double boiler over stove. Mix in softened cream cheese once the chocolate has cooled.
2. Separate eggs. Beat yolks into the cream cheese chocolate mixture. Beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Gently fold in the egg whites.
3. Place one wonton wrapper in each muffin tin.
   

   
4. Fill the wonton wrappers about half way full with batter (This is a soufflé 
    style cheesecake so it will rise during baking)
5. Begin baking at 325 degrees for 7 minutes, then turn the oven down to 300 degrees and bake for 15 minutes, and finally, shut off the oven and leave the cheesecakes in there for 15 minutes.

For Caramel:

1. Place coconut milk, brown sugar, butter, coconut extract, and salt in pot.
2. Put on medium to medium-low heat, and whisk occasionally until the sauce comes together and thickens, about 5-7 minutes. If it's too thin, cook for a couple extra minutes. If too thick, add a little bit more coconut milk until you reach your desired consistency.

Now for serving!

Remove the cheesecakes from the muffin tin and top the cheesecakes, first, with the roasted banana spread 

And then drizzle on some of your lovely coconut caramel sauce

And finally, top them off with some toasted coconut!

Now, you have one last step... ENJOY!!! These little bites are guaranteed to please, whether it be a fancy party, or you're just hanging out at home, these will be a home run!

Enjoy!

-Tommy

Apple Pastry Roses

Hey guys! Welcome to my blog!
For my first post I decided to go with something very visually appealing: Apple roses! These apple roses are not only beautiful, but they taste great too!

They are sweet and fruity, and have a wonderful texture very reminiscent of apple pie.  They would make a great dessert for an elegant dinner party, or just having friends over for dinner!

Ingredients: For approximately 12 roses

• 2 sheets of Puff Pastry, thawed
• 4 apples of your choice (I used gala apples)
• The juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup of flour
• 6 tablespoons of apricot jelly or preserves
• Powdered sugar for decorating, optional
• An oven preheated to 375 degrees.

1. Cut apples in half, remove core with pairing knife.
2. Prepare a bowl with the juice from the lemon and water (just enough water to cover the apples).
3. Slice apples paper thin, but leave the peels on to ensure your roses have their red color!
4. Place apples in the water directly after slicing to prevent the browning of the apples.
5. Microwave the apples in the water for 3 minutes.
6. Remove the apples and drain.
7. Roll out puff pastry dough, just to stretch it out a little bit, but try to maintain the rectangular shape.
8. Slice dough into 6 equal sized strips.
9. Brush dough with apricot jam, then begin to lay the apples on the dough like so.
10. Double up the layer of apples, if you'd like.
11. Fold the puff pastry dough over the apples and press to seal.
12. Roll the dough, from end to end, tightly, spray a muffin tin with non-stick spray then place roses in it.
13. Bake at 375 degrees for 40-45 minutes, or until the pastry is cooked through.
14. Remove from oven, and allow approximately 10 minutes for the dough to cool while in the tin before taking it from the tin to let it finish cooling.
15. Then use the roses to wow your friends and family!

Enjoy!

Cheers!

- Tommy