Okay, so I’m being a little over-dramatic here. I don’t have any secrets, I haven’t told any lies and I hardly think I’ve been deceptive. Oh, but Internet, I feel like I’ve been holding out on you.

I also feel like somewhat of an anomaly here because usually, when bloggers land a fabulous writing gig elsewhere, outside their own little corner of the web, they can’t wait to shout it to the world from the rooftop. I on the other hand, have just not yet gotten around to mentioning that since mid-June, I’ve been writing yumGloss, the food channel for a fabulous website, myGloss.com.

I post numerous times every day, which, with a full-time job is sometimes quite taxing. I work on Saturday nights, I work late into the evenings and I work at 6:30a.m. before I leave for work-work. Sometimes I feel completely and utterly drained, as though I’ve poured all of the jumbled words from my head through my fingertips and onto the computer screen. I don’t get enough sleep and sometimes, writing about food cuts into the time I used to spend actually cooking said food.

Instead of carrying on with the blah-blah-blah, I’m giving you what you really came for: cheesecake. Cheesecake with tequila in it, in fact, so tell me, how could it get any better? Light and refreshing enough for a summer dessert, but indulgent enough that you’ll hate yourself when you have to put your swimsuit on.

Margarita Cheesecake
Serves 10

What you need:

Crust
4 ounces salted pretzels
1/3 cup sugar
4 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons Grand Marnier, or Triple Sec
1 tablespoon tequila
1 tablespoon grated lime zest
4 large eggs

What you do:

1. Make crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in center. Make the crust: Butter a 9 1/2 inch springform pan; set aside. In a food processor, pulse pretzels to fine crumbs. Add sugar and butter; process until combined.

2: Press evenly into bottom and slightly up sides (about 1 inch) of a 9-inch nonstick springform pan. Place on a baking sheet. Bake until light golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.

3: Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Prepare filling: With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until light and fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, about 1 minute. Mix in sour cream, sugar, Grand Marnier, tequila, and lime zest; beat until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating to combine after each addition.

Pour into cooled crust (filling will come up higher than crust). Line outside of pan with aluminum foil (to prevent water from seeping in). Place in a roasting pan. Pour hot water to come halfway up sides of springform pan. Bake until set and slightly firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Remove from water bath, and let cool on a wire rack; refrigerate until chilled, about 4 hours. Run a hot knife around edge of pan to release.

Tagged as: cheesecake, dessert, margarita cheesecake