Stuffed Cabbage with Cashew-Ginger Sauce

Stuffed Cabbage with Cashew-Ginger Sauce was a daunting recipe when I first began this project. So, like any normal human being, I put it off. I finally decided to conquer it today. It wasn't nearly as complex as I imagined it to be. I started by making the sauce in a blender. I combined toasted cashews, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, cider vinegar, salt, cayenne, and a little water.

Next I took on the cabbage. I cored and cooked a whole cabbage on the stove to soften the outer leaves.

Then I made the filling by combining onion, garlic, carrot, celery, cottage cheese, sunflower seeds, tart apple, raisins, lemon juice, and soy sauce. The only amendment I made to the original recipe was using cottage cheese instead of ricotta cheese and I think it worked out fine.

Next, assembling the dinner.

I filled each cabbage leaf with about three tablespoons of filling.

The leaves were soft and pliable, making it easy to fold in the sides and roll each one up, like a veggie gift.

Lastly, I covered the stuffed cabbage with the cashew sauce and baked them in the oven.  The dinner was a little difficult to cut up, but tasted very fresh and healthy.

Ginger Brandy Cheesecake

Ginger Brandy Cheesecake was the featured dessert for Friday night's family dinner.  I had been wanting to make this dessert for some time, but really needed a nice show of people since the cake is quite big. Making a rich cheesecake just doesn't make much sense when there aren't many mouths around!

First thing's first: I ground up gingersnap cookies in the food processor. I used Trader Joe's Triple Ginger cookies and highly recommend them! I mixed the cookies with melted butter and pressed them into a 10" springform pan.

There is a little bit of brandy in the filling and the glaze of this cake. At first, I planned to omit this from the recipe, since I didn't have any brandy and didn't really feel a pull to go buy some. Instead, I sniffed around and low and behold ... found some Apple Brandy!

The cake baked. It was glossy and firm when it came out.

While the cake cooled, Charlie and I squeezed fresh oranges to make juice for the glaze.

The glaze cooked on the stove: cornstarch, orange juice, fresh orange zest, sugar, and brandy.

I sliced up spicy bits of crystallized ginger for the top.

And decorated it with the hot glaze and ginger candies.

All in all, I'd say this cheesecake was a glorious success. I loved the crust and the filling wasn't too sweet. Next time I might try making it in a smaller springform pan, just so it's a little taller. I am so glad I could share this wonderful treat with my family!