How do you top your cheesecake?

[Zsofia]

I was trying to think of some nice dessert to make in my new oven for a dinner party my folks are throwing, and I thought, hey, remember that cheesecake thread from a while back? So I go back, and I think I'll do Cub Mistress's Sour Cream Cheesecake, but I want to do a topping and I'm not sure what kind.

I do have a bunch of blueberries in the fridge, not sure what I'd like to do with them, and it doesn't have to be blueberries at all. Just something good and tasty. So how do you guys like it?

[Zsofia]

PS - this (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=349996&highlight=cheesecake) is the thread I mentioned.

[silenus]

Strawberries are always good. Just about any fruit will do, in fact. Or chocolate.

[Askia]

With my mouth. MMMMmmmm.

[Cheesesteak]

I top mine with a fork, rapidly moving in a downward direction.

For some food items, I think simpler is better, thus any topping you offer I would prefer to have available on the side, so I can get a taste of unadulterated cheesecake.

That said, a mixed berry sauce would be nice. Cook any handy berries up with some sugar and a bit of lemon juice until they get to a nice consistency. Thicken with a cornstarch slurry if it's a bit thin, maybe throw in a bit of Grand Marnier as well.

[flickster]

in order to continue the smart a*s answers....



With a second piece

[Anaamika]

Askia's got the right idea. Top cheesecake? Almost never. There has only been one exception and that was melted caramel, and only a very thin layer.


Mmm.

[Telperien]

I like my cheesecake untopped, or else topped with only very fresh strawberries or a light drizzle of good fudge sauce. Funnily enough, though I love caramel, I don't like it on cheesecake.

[Snooooopy]

Although Red Lobster is not typically a prime source for culinary ideas, I have to say that their cheesecake topped with a layer of white chocolate is really tasty.

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

With one of these delicious Dessert Hot Sauces (http://www.toadsweat.com/), of course!

They really are sweet and delicious. The vanilla lemon is quite mild (1/10 for heat), while the Key Lime goes up to 6/10! The others are in between.

They're wonderful on cheesecake, pecan pie, iced cream, and fresh strawberries too!!!!

[delphica]

I am usually a plain cheesecake person, but one recipe I really like is made with a Thin Mint Girl Scout cookie crust, drizzed with a little creme de menthe, and topped with another Thin Mint.

Then after, you can eat the rest of the box of Thin Mints.

[Cervaise]

Last time I made a cheesecake, I topped it with a curd made from blood orange juice.

Got raves, let me tell you. Raves.

[jacquilynne]

I generally top mine with a pomegranate reduction and some pomegranate mousse.

[Mahaloth]

Cherries!

There are other options? Not on my earth!

[Max Torque]

My top toppings...erm, make that "the toppings I most prefer", are:

1. Caramel, and
2. Nothing.

Seriously, most of the time if there's a topping on it I'll scrape as much of it off as I can to get to the cheesecakey goodness. But I have a weakness for caramel, so it gets tops.

[Mahaloth]

This messageboard has taught me more than all my university education.

People top cheesecake with caramel? Thin Mints? Chocolate?

My God! I had no idea people did anything other than cherries(in sauce), occasionaly strawberries(in sauce) and plain.

[Kythereia]

Blackberry compote--heaven on earth.

[seenidog]

As so many others have said, a good cheesecake stands on it's own. A variety of toppings on the side is nice too, it gives the guests power of choice.

[LawMonkey]

A fruit topping is, IMO, about the only way to go--I find that any sort of caramel/chocolate/etc doesn't really groove well with the cheesecake thing.

On the other hand, and I admit to never actually having tried this, it seems as if a drizzle of amaretto might do very nicely....


...or maybe I just want flan instead. :D

[amarinth]

Don't.

To me, cheesecake doesn't blend well with sweet (fruit) or bitter (chocolate or worse, mocha, cheesecake is a horror on all levels).

[Hunter Hawk]

I normally don't top cheesecake with anything, but one time I did have a spare jar of raspberry sauce from Fran's Chocolates (http://www.franschocolates.com) and people seemed to like the combination. (I kept the sauce on the side so people could control whether & how much they got.)

[MaxTheVool]

Well, first I tell it a safeword...

[Loopydude]

Something yellow?

[Zsofia]

If you were just on the edge of your seat, I decided not to top it at all, I just served it with fresh blueberries on the side. The sour cream component of that particular cheesecake made a fine topping by itself. It was a big success.

[Excalibre]

Last time I made a cheesecake, I topped it with a curd made from blood orange juice.

Got raves, let me tell you. Raves.
You are morally obligated to share the recipe.

Just a week ago I was thinking about how I'd never had orange on top of a cheesecake, and trying to think of strategies to combine the two flavors. I'd be delighted to know what you did.


Well, first I tell it a safeword...
Fifty points!

[medstar]

With one of these delicious Dessert Hot Sauces (http://www.toadsweat.com/), of course!

They really are sweet and delicious. The vanilla lemon is quite mild (1/10 for heat), while the Key Lime goes up to 6/10! The others are in between.

They're wonderful on cheesecake, pecan pie, iced cream, and fresh strawberries too!!!!

Hey Qadgop, here's a timely link for you! I hope this link goes thru:

Here's some ice cream you might enjoy! (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-07-03-hot-ice-cream_x.htm?csp=28)

[FriarTed]

raspberries with sugar/splenda sauteed in brandy

[medstar]

Hey Qadgop, here's a timely link for you! I hope this link goes thru:

Here's some ice cream you might enjoy! (http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2006-07-03-hot-ice-cream_x.htm?csp=28)


As a sidenote: The above is the very first example of a link I've been successful at since I joined the SDMB! Please take note of my mad computing skilz. I am now a force to be reckoned with on the internet. :D

[picunurse]

If you want to use the blueberries, crush 1/2 cup, add 1/2 cup sugar in a medium sauce pan.
Mix 2 TBS corn starch in about 1/2 cup of COLD water.
Add the cornstarch mixture to the crushed berry mixture over mediun heat, stirring constantly until it begins to boil and thicken. (It will become clear and shiny)
Remove from the heat and stir in another 1/2 cup or more of berries.
Allow it to cool, stirring a couple times to avoid a "skin."
Top cheesecake just before serving.
You can use this same method to glace any type of fruit. (apples and pears have to be cooked longer, so, you'd put them all in the pan and cook until they're a bit soft.)

Or you can buy fruit topping in a can. They have Cherry, Blackberry, Blueberry, Apple, Peach and Raspberry.