Luscious Boyne Raspberry Cheesecake with Bittersweet Chocolate

Recipe Ingredients:

• 4 each – Nature Valley Granola Bar, .74 oz size
• 1 Tbsp – Honey
• 2 pounds – Cream Cheese
• 1 cup – Sugar
• 1 cup – Sour Cream
• 2 each – Lemons, zested and juiced
• 1 tsp – Vanilla Extract
• 4 each – Eggs
• 1 pint – Boyne Raspberry

Method:

1. Combine Granola Bars and Honey and place in food processor. Chop up well to create a crumbly crust.
2. In a mixer, combine cream cheese and sugar and cream together.
3. Scrape the bowl, and then add in vanilla, lemon zest and juice, and sour cream.
4. Whip together for 30 seconds. 
5. On low speed slowly add in the eggs one at a time.
6. Lastly add in 1 pint of Fresh Boyne Raspberries and mix gently for 20-30 seconds. 
7. In 4 oz. serving dishes or a 9 inch spring form pan, line the bottom with the granola bar mixture.
8. Pack down evenly.
9. Add in the cheesecake mixture.
10. Place your pan or dishes in a square cake pan and fill the pan with water half way up the side of the pan.
11. Place in oven and cook for 40 minutes at 325 degrees.

CHEF BIO:
MICHAEL SCOTT
EXECUTIVE CHEF, TEMPE MISSION PALMS HOTEL AND CONFERENCE CENTER
Michael Scott’s first thoughts of being in the kitchen were as a child with his dad. Chef Scott’s father was a stay at home dad and Michael would stand in the kitchen watching him cook. Michael’s first job at the age of 16 was at an Italian restaurant. By the time Chef graduated high school; he was a corporate trainer on three different line stations and was being considered for assignment for restaurant openings. After graduating, Chef Scott started working as the lead corporate trainer at a steak house.

Chef Michael Scott is a graduate of the Scottsdale Culinary Institute with a degree in Culinary Arts and H&R Management. After graduating, he worked in a variety of roles at resorts in Arizona. His career took him to Vail, Colorado where he was tasked with opening a new restaurant and then back to Arizona. Chef Scott has also assisted the culinary teams at other Destination Hotels & Resorts before coming on board as the executive chef at Tempe Mission Palms.

Raspberry French Macarons with Raspberry Balsamic Filling

Recipe Ingredients:
Pulse:

• 2 Cups Powder Sugar
• 2 Cups Almond Meal
• Whisk:
• 4 Egg Whites
• Pinch of Salt
• 1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
• 1 Tsp. Vanilla Extract
• Gel Food Color Pink Rose (Optional)

Filling:

• 8 Oz. White Chocolate Chopped
• 1/3 Cup of Raspberry Preserves/Jam
• 4 Tsp. White Balsamic Vinegar

Method:

1. Filling: Microwave chocolate, jam and vinegar until chocolate is almost melted; stir until smooth. Stir in food color and chill filling until spreadable, stirring occasionally.
2. Pulse: Powder sugar and almond meal in food processor until combined, 20 seconds.
3. Preheat: oven to 325’F line baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Whisk: egg white and salt on medium speed until foamy, about 30 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high; slowly add granulated sugar and beat to fine peaks, 2-3 minutes.
5. Add:  vanilla and food color and increase speed to high; beat until whites are stiff and glossy, about 1 minute.
6. Fold: almond meal mixture into whites until combined, 35-40 turns with a rubber spatula. Batter should be thick and flow like lava.
7. Transfer: batter to a pastry bag fitted with a medium straight tip.
8. Pipe: 2-inch circles on baking sheets. Lightly tap pan on counter 4 times to remove any air bubbles; set aside 20 minutes so skins form over the top of each macaron.
9. Bake: cookies until set and very lightly browned, 20 - 15 minutes. Slide parchment with cookies onto a cooling rack; cool completely, then peel from the macarons from the parchment.
10. Pipe: filling onto bottom half of the macarons; top remaining macarons with tops of macarons.

From the Chef:
My children love these cookies.

CHEF BIO:
JESSIE LEE WILLIAMS
EXECUTIVE CHEF, PARADISE POINT
Inspired by flavors, fascinated by the science behind the marriage of ingredients, and influenced by a long line of family chefs and cooking enthusiasts, Jessie Lee Williams brings a lifetime of passion, enthusiasm and ancestral knowledge into his culinary creations. With his whimsical twists on classics, bold flavors, and reinventions of regional and exotic foods, the simplest to most sophisticated pallets are fulfilled by savory meals in the form of Contemporary Continental American cuisine.
After a childhood full of time in the kitchen and family recipes, Williams began his culinary career with the successful ownership and operation of a catering company in Garland, Texas. He then furthered his career to include fine dining in the hospitality industry.