Features

12 Days of Christmas — Day 7

December 12, 2018

During the twelve days until Christmas break, the King Street Chronicle will again present staff favorites from the holiday season. This seventh edition will not include seven swans-a-swimming, but beloved Christmas songs, memories, recipes, movies, and crafts.
Song:

“Little Saint Nick” by The Beach Boys.

Memory:

Dunkin mugs for the camera. Courtesy of Kellie Ulmer ’20

Junior Kellie Ulmer
“Getting surprised with our dog Dunkin is my favorite Christmas memory. My two sisters and I begged for a dog for years. After school on December 23rd, our parents called us into our playroom and Dunkin was in a little Christmas bow in a crate. I started to scream and my sisters were crying; we were all super happy.”

Recipe:
Cranberry White Chocolate Mini Cheesecakes
Ingredients:
THE CRANBERRY JAM

Two cups of fresh or frozen cranberries
Three-quarter cups of sugar
One-quarter cup of water
One teaspoon of vanilla

THE COOKIE CRUMB CRUST

One cup of cookie crumbs
Two tablespoons of butter, melted
Two tablespoons of sugar

THE WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

Three ounces of white chocolate, chopped
One-quarter cup of half and half
One and a half packages of cream cheese
One-half cup of sugar
One-half cup of sour cream
Two large eggs
One teaspoon of vanilla

THE SUGARED CRANBERRIES AND ROSEMARY

One-half cup of sugar, divided
One-quarter cup of water
Thirty-six cranberries
A few sprigs of rosemary

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place twelve half-cup canning jars in a baking dish or roasting pan.
Add the cranberries, sugar, water, and vanilla to a small pot over high heat. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium. Continue to simmer for ten minutes then remove from the heat.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the cookie crumbs with the melted butter and sugar. Divide between the canning jars and press down lightly to create the crust.
When the cranberry jam is no longer hot (warm is ok) divide it between the jars on top of the cookie crumb base.
Place the white chocolate and half and half in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let the chocolate melt then whisk to combine.
In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, sour cream, eggs, vanilla, and melted white chocolate with electric beaters until the batter is smooth, about five minutes. Divide the batter between the canning jars, leaving a quarter-inch gap at the top. Carefully pour water into the pan so that it reaches halfway up the sides of the canning jars.
Bake in the oven for 25 minutes, or until the cheesecakes are slightly puffed and the tops are dry and matte looking. Turn off the oven and open the oven door halfway. Let the oven cool with the cheesecakes inside for a half hour. Garnish with sugared cranberries and rosemary
To make the garnish: in a small pan, heat a quarter-cup of the sugar and the water until the sugar melts. Remove the pan from the heat and set it aside to cool. Place the remaining quarter cup of sugar in a small bowl.
When the sugar water is cool, dip the rosemary in it then shake off the excess. Then, dip the rosemary in the sugar. Set the rosemary on a parchment-lined plate. Repeat with the cranberries, shaking them in the sugar to coat them. Let them dry completely before using them to decorate the mini cheesecakes.

Movie:

Christmas Made to Order
“When architect and Christmas amateur Steven finds himself hosting his family for Christmas, he recruits holiday coordinator Gretchen to bring holiday joy to his home. Gretchen’s expert Christmas spirit brings Steven’s family together, but neither expected it to bring them closer to each other. After a great opportunity presents itself to Gretchen, she and Steven must decide what’s really important in life,” courtesy of hallmarkchannel.com.

Craft:
Sweater Garland