Thursday, February 4, 2010

Arizona Sunset Cheesecake


NGREDIENTS

PREPARATION

Shortbread Crust: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Working on a large flat surface, such as a pastry board, place flour, pecans, and sugar in the center of the surface and mix together. Form a small depression or well in the center of the mound. Add the egg yolk and the softened butter to the well, then blend these with the dry mixture. Mix the ingredients thoroughly using your hands -- there is no substitute for warm hands. Shape the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 10 minutes. Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4-inch. You should have a circle of about 11 inches in diameter. For best results, roll out your dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper, then peel away the paper and cut the crust in a 9 inch circle. Place the circle inside a 9 inch springform pan. Prick the crust several times with a fork to keep the crust from puffing up during the baking. Place the springform pan in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until light brown. Allow to cool. Using the leftover dough, line the sides of the springform pan. Press the dough against the sides of the pan, smoothing it so as to have a continuous layer of crust all the way around the sides of the pan. Make sure that the side crust meets the bottom crust all the way around. Brush the reserved egg white onto the shell, covering the bottom and sides. This will seal the dough and keep it from becoming soggy. Set aside until ready to use. Cranberry Glaze Filling: Mix the sugar and cornstarch together in a small saucepan. Stir in the cranberry sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice. Set aside to cool slightly. White Chocolate Filling: Reset the oven to 350 degrees F. Boil the orange juice and piece of orange peel in a heavy medium saucepan until the juice is reduced to 3 Tbsp - about 12 minutes. Remove and discard the strip of orange peel and set aside the reduced orange juice. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, grated orange zest, Crantasia, and reduced orange juice until smooth. Beat in the melted white chocolate and then the eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined. Pour the cranberry glaze filling into the prepared crust, spreading evenly. Pour the white chocolate filling over the cranberry layer and bake about 50 minutes (the top will be dry and the sides puffed slightly - the center will not be set). Move cheesecake to a wire rack and cool completely to room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator overnight. Candied Oranges Topping: Cover a wire rack with waxed paper. Set aside. Combine the water and sugar in a heavy shallow wide skillet. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes longer. Add the orange slices 1 at a time and adjust the heat so that the syrup bubbles only around the edges of the pan. Cook the oranges for one hour. Turn over the top layer of oranges and cook until the oranges are translucent and the orange peels tender, about another one hour longer. Lift and drain each orange slice out of the syrup, and arrange the slices in a single layer on the prepared rack. Let dry 1 hour. Boil the orange-sugar syrup until thick, about 6 minutes. Loosen and remove the sides of the springform pan. Set the cheesecake on a serving dish. Overlap the candied orange slices around the top of the cheesecake. Reheat the orange syrup, if necessary, and brush over the orange slices. Drizzle any remainder over each serving. Garnish: whipped cream NOTE: You may substitute grapefruits for the oranges in the Candied Oranges Topping if you prefer.

Yogurt Cheesecake

1/2 cup sugar, plus some for dusting the pan 
3 cups Greek Yogurt
1 1/2 cups mascarpone
3 tablespoons confectioners sugar
3 large eggs
6 large egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
 Make the cheesecake the day before you will serve it.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and put a kettle of water on the stove to boil.  Grease a 10-inch springform pan and sprinkle with sugar, tapping out the excess.  Wrap foil around the outside of the pan -- this will keep the water bath from seeping in.



Beat the sugar, yogurt, mascarpone, and confectioners sugar until smooth.  Beat in the eggs, then the egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each one.  Mix in the salt and vanilla.  Pour into the prepared pan and place the pan into a 9 by 13 inch pan filled with a few inches of water (about half way up the sides of the springform pan).  Cover the whole thing with foil.  Bake for 20 minutes, rotate the pan and bake for 20 minutes more.  Remove the foil until the cake is puffed and jiggly, but not liquid in the center.  Let the cake cool on the counter and the cover and refrigerate overnight.  Serve chilled with your choice of fruit or other topping.

Vermont Pumpkin Walnut Cheesecake


1 pk (6 ounces) zwieback
-, crushed (1 1/2 -cups) 1/2 c Granulated sugar
6 tb Butter, melted
3 pk (8 ounces each) cream
-cheese, softened 3/4 c Granulated sugar
3/4 c Firmly packed light brown
-sugar 5 Eggs
1 cn (16 ounces) pumpkin
1 3/4 ts Pumpkin pie spice
1/4 c Heavy cream
Walnut Topping (recipe -follows) 1. Blend zwieback crumbs, the 1/4 cup sugar and the butter in a medium-size
bowl. Press firmly over bottom and up side of a lightly buttered 9-inch spring-form pan. Chill 2. Beat  in a large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add sugars gradually, beating until well mixed. Beat in eggs one at a time, until  is light and fluffy. Beat in pumpkin, pumpkin pie spice and heavy cream at low speed. Pour into prepared pan. 3. Bake in a slow oven(325 degrees F.) for 1 hour and 35 minutes. Remove cake from oven; sprinkle with Walnut Topping; bake an additional 10 minutes. Cool cake on wire rack; refrigerate for several hours, or overnight. Garnish with whipped cream and pecans, if you wish. WALNUT TOPPING: Combine 6 tablespoons softened butter with 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar in a small bowl: mix well until crumbly. Blend in 1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts.
Makes 16 servings. Recipe From: Family Circle (date unknown)