Divine Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

mmmmmmmmmm mmmm mmmmmm

You heard it: Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

Now see it:
Wanna make it?

Ingredients:

Crust
9 oz. chocolate wafer cookies (oreos w/o cream, teddy grahams or fancy wafers - my preference)
1 T sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling
10 oz. Valrhona Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped
4 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 cups + 2 T sugar
1/4 C unsweetened (Valrhona) cocoa powder (super important to use high quality cocoa powder)
4 large eggs

Topping
3/4 C whipping cream
6 oz. Valrhona Bittersweet Chocolate, chopped
1 T sugar
Bittersweet chocolate curls


Preparation:

Crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 3-inch-high sides. Blend cookies in processor until finely ground; blend in sugar. Add melted butter and process until well blended. Press crumbs evenly onto bottom (not sides) of prepared pan. Bake just until set, about 5 minutes. Cool while preparing filling. Maintain oven temperature.

Filling:
Stir chopped chocolate in metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water; cool chocolate until lukewarm but still pourable. Blend cream cheese, sugar, and cocoa powder in processor until smooth. Blend in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in lukewarm chocolate. Pour filling over crust; smooth top. Bake until center is just set and just appears dry, about 1 hour. Cool 5 minutes. Run knife around sides of cake to loosen. Chill overnight.

Topping:
Stir cream, 6 ounces chocolate, and sugar in heavy medium saucepan over low heat until smooth. Cool slightly. Pour over center of cheesecake, spreading to within 1/2 inch of edge and filling any cracks. Chill until topping is set, about 1 hour.

Release pan sides. Transfer cheesecake to platter. Top with chocolate curls. Let stand 2 hours at room temperature before serving.

Notes:

* Seattle residents - you can purchase Valrhona chocolate at DeLaurenti's at the market in their bulk section upstairs. You can also purchase chocolate curls from the same section if you're lazy like me ;)

** Recipe adapted from Bon Apetite

*** The staple of this recipe is high quality, high cocoa content, dark chocolate. You shouldn't make this cake if you aren't willing to find the right chocolate or aren't a dark chocolate fan.

**** I added some raspberry sauce when serving - it went over well.