Three days until DeVotchKa. I have tickets to see the band for the first time this Saturday in Boston. Am I excited? Do I sing in the kitchen?

VERY excited. I’ve been a fan of DeVotchKa for a long time. It wasn’t until their album ‘A Mad And Faithful Telling’, though, that I went over the deep edge for their music. “Undone” is worth the price of admission alone. The songs on AMAFT, many about love and longing, are incredibly moving. The music is an eclectic trip of eastern bloc indie rock tinged with mariachi. Nick Urata’s vocals have never been better.

DeVotchKa’s latest release ‘100 Lovers’ definitely does not disappoint. Unrequited love, sad relationships, the drama of heartbreak…it’s all here. My favorite song is ‘All The Sand In The Sea’. The tempo changes are right up my alley.

“And don’t forget me, look back for me. Here’s the part that always gets me”.

Perfect.

Alright, we’ve talked about Delicious DeVotchKa. How about we move on to this delicious cheesecake?

Brownie Chunk Cheesecake

Crust ingredients:

32 Oreo cookies, crushed
1/4 cup butter, melted

Filling ingredients:

3 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs vanilla
1 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
4 eggs
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped brownies

Topping ingredients:

8 oz milk chocolate, chopped
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 oz white chocolate, melted

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325℉.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together all crust ingredients. Press into bottom and 1 inch up sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Wrap pan with heavy duty foil and freeze for 30 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until blended. Beat in sour cream and 1 cup cream. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just blended. Slowly beat in flour. Fold in brownies.

4. Place springform pan in a large baking pan. Pour batter into crust (it will come to within 1/4 inch of top edge). Add enough hot water to baking pan to come halfway up sides of springform pan.

5. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes or until edges are puffed and top is dry to the touch. Center should move slightly when pan is tapped and should not ripple as if liquid.

6. Remove springform pan from baking pan and remove foil. Cool completely on wire rack. Refrigerate overnight.

7. Melt milk chocolate and 1/3 cup cream in medium saucepan over low heat, stirring until smooth. Pour over top of cheesecake. Let stand 10 minutes.

8. Pour white chocolate into small resealable plastic bag, snip off corner of bag. Drizzle chocolate over cheesecake. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Serves 12

Adapted from Cooking Pleasures magazine

We’re back to Delicious DeVotchKa.
DeVotchKa-Undone

DeVotchKa-All The Sand In All The Sea

You can buy their albums here.

Cheers!