just like cheesecake and cocoa butter

[salsababy]

A couple "uncooking" questions

#1. In the Just Like Cheesecake recipe floating on here, the one cup of honey-----is that raw honey?? Or regular honey?

#2. Can you substitute berrries (blackberry/raspberry) for the blueberry in Allissa's cheesecake?

#3. When melting cocoa butter- do you melt it into liquid? I think cocoa butter needs some getting used to.

Thanks everyone! :)

[salsababy]

Bump! Double bump!

[madmel]

A couple "uncooking" questions

#1. In the Just Like Cheesecake recipe floating on here, the one cup of honey-----is that raw honey?? Or regular honey?

#2. Can you substitute berrries (blackberry/raspberry) for the blueberry in Allissa's cheesecake?

#3. When melting cocoa butter- do you melt it into liquid? I think cocoa butter needs some getting used to.

Thanks everyone! :)

Hi salsababy,

I would suggest you always use raw ingredients as far as possible (meaning if you can get them).

I believe that blueberries have a natural thing to them that they sort of become jellylike, but I am not really sure.

I haven't melted cocoa butter but my initial guess is that it becomes a thicker liquid when melted (like coconut butter or regular butter does).

cheers,
madmel

[fairygirl]

hey salsababy,

yeah, i melt my coconut butter by putting it into a container then putting that container into a bowl with warm water. it slowly melts it into a liquid.

you can totally sup the berries for alissa's cheesecake! go wild....use what u have. thats what i always do and it usually turns out.

raw honey - the funny thing is that the liquid stuff says "unpasturized" on the bottle, so ud think thats the raw stuff. but actually the really firm/hard honey is the raw stuff.

[Sharon in Colorado]

Yes the blueberries gel up. You could fold in the other berries or puree them with a sweetener and pour over the top like a sauce.

With the cocoa butter I melt it in a double boiler, so it pretty much gets cooked.

[StudentforLife]

hey salsababy,


raw honey - the funny thing is that the liquid stuff says "unpasturized" on the bottle, so ud think thats the raw stuff. but actually the really firm/hard honey is the raw stuff.

I thought that the hard cloudy stuff was the raw kind too but when I watched Alissa's DVD the honey she was using was the "regular" looking kind. I asked this question on the forums a while ago and someone responded whose mother was a bee keeper,(can't remember their name). They said honey that comes out of the comb is the amber liquid, they strain it and then bottle it. It should look like the usual honey. I would just make sure the label says raw and hope for the best. Or maybe you could ask Alissa what brand she uses.

[RowanC]

Honey comes out of the comb from a very light yellow, almost clear liquid to a dark amber, depending on what blossoms the bees used to make it!

Not all honey tastes alike at all.

When honey sits, especially if it is cold, it crystalizes. This happens to raw honey as well as cooked honey so that is not an indicator.

If your raw honey crystalizes, go ahead and use it. If you need it to be liquid, then just put the jar in a pan of hot tap water for a while until it forms liquid again. It will probably recrystalize. It's just the nature of the honey to do this. In warm climates it is not as much an issue. The taste and quality of the honey isn't affected at all when it crystalizes... you can still use it.

Honey you buy in the jars at the market has been pasturized.. heated... so you're better off to find a beekeeper in your area and buy directly. It's also very much cheaper that way. Or you can order it online. Or if you want to pay shipping, I could buy a large jar this year and split it up amongst some of you . My local people sell it in gallon jars. Let me know.

[salsababy]

Funny. All these posts lately and this one got bumped down and I didn't even realize others replied. I found this again when I banana searched "water". Funny. I am reading the replies for the first time NOW. LOL.

Thanks everyone! I do have raw honey but it is really thick, that is why I was confused. I will put it in a bowl of warm water to melt it a little bit. I am so excited that I have the head knowledge to tackle these desserts. Now if only this snow and ice will melt so I can go get some more cashews! ;)