Chocolate-Chip Cake and Basic Meatloaf

DEAR SOS: I really enjoyed Disneyland’s Chocolate Chip Cheesecake. Do you think they’ll share the recipe? It had a chocolate cookie crust and a delicious chocolate chip filling.

--ANGELA

DEAR ANGELA: This is no Mickey Mousse chocolate pie, as hard-core chocolate lovers will discover.

DISNEYLAND’S CHOCOLATE CHIP CHEESECAKE

1 (1-pound) package chocolate sandwich cookies, crushed (Oreo cookies preferred)

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese

Sugar

Dash salt

3 large eggs

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces

3 tablespoons flour

1 cup whipping cream

Wrap foil outside bottom and halfway up sides of 9-inch springform pan, molding to pan. Set aside.

Process cookies until fine in food processor. Add melted butter and combine to moisten crumbs. Press onto bottom and sides of foil-wrapped pan and freeze until ready to fill.

Mix cream cheese, 2/3 cup sugar and salt in bowl until light and soft. Add eggs, 1 at time, while mixer is running. Add lemon juice and mix 3 minutes longer.

Combine chocolate pieces and flour in small bowl. Fold into cream-cheese mixture with rubber scraper. Pour into prepared pan.

Place filled pan in larger pan with 1 cup warm water to create water bath. Bake at 350 degrees 35 to 40 minutes or until top is brown and cracked slightly. Remove from oven and cool up to 3 hours.

When ready to serve, beat whipping cream with 2 teaspoons sugar until soft peaks form. Garnish cheesecake with whipped cream. Makes 1 (9-inch) cheesecake.

DEAR SOS: My son is coming home from the Air Force Academy and requested his favorite meat loaf, which can be topped with barbecue sauce or mushroom gravy, or filled with cheese. Can you help?

--JEANNIE

DEAR JEANNIE: Yes, we can. Variations on the basic meat loaf recipe are also worth repeating.

BASIC FAVORITE MEAT LOAF

1 egg

2/3 cup milk

3 cups soft bread cubes

1 tablespoon prepared mustard

1 3/4 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped celery with leaves

1/4 cup chopped parsley

2 pounds ground beef

Beat egg and add milk and bread cubes. Let stand until bread absorbs milk. Mash and stir mixture until bread is in very small particles. Add mustard, salt, pepper, basil and thyme and mix well.

Stir in onion, celery and parsley. Add ground meat and mix well. Form into loaf shape in shallow baking pan.

Bake at 350 degrees 55 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before slicing. (For soft, moist exterior, bake meat loaf in 9x5-inch loaf pan.) Makes 8 servings.

Variations:

Mushroom-Dill Meat Loaf

Reduce salt in basic recipe to 1 1/2 teaspoons and substitute 1 teaspoon dried dill weed for basil and thyme. Substitute liquid from 3- or 4-ounce can chopped mushrooms for equal part of milk. Chop mushrooms into smaller pieces and add to meat mixture with 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest.

Cheese-Olive Meat Loaf

Reduce salt in basic recipe to 1 1/2 teaspoons. Add 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese and 1/3 cup chopped pimiento-stuffed olives. Sprinkle additional 1/2 cup shredded cheese over top of loaf 5 minutes before end of baking time.

Italian Meat Loaf

Reduce salt in basic recipe to 1 1/2 teaspoons. Substitute 1/3 cup catsup for half of milk. Add 1 clove garlic, crushed; 1/2 teaspoon oregano and 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese. Drizzle meat loaf with 1/4 cup catsup and top with 4 ounces sliced mozzarella cheese 5 minutes before end of baking time.

Ring Shape Meat Loaf

For ring shape, lightly pack meat-loaf mixture in 6-cup ring mold. Bake at 400 degrees 45 minutes.

For individual loaves, shape meat loaf mixture into 8 small oval loaves. Place in shallow baking pan and bake at 400 degrees 40 minutes.

For cups, lightly pack meat loaf mixture in 8 (6-ounce) custard cups or muffin pans. Bake at 400 degrees 40 minutes.