Pistachio Shortbread Cheesecake Crust Food

PISTACHIO-RICOTTA CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Make the crust: Position a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 325˚. Spread the whole and chopped pistachios on a rimmed baking sheet (keep them separate) and bake until toasted, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
• Set aside the chopped pistachios in a small bowl. Pulse the toasted whole pistachios in a food processor along with the shortbread cookies and granulated sugar until finely ground. Add the melted butter and pulse until the mixture looks like wet sand. Press the mixture into the bottom of an 8-inch round springform pan. Bake until set around the edges and no longer puffed, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a rack; let cool 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the filling: Beat the eggs and granulated sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until pale and thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the ricotta, pistachio paste, lemon zest, vanilla and almond extracts and salt and continue beating until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the green food coloring and beat until combined.
• Pour the filling over the crust. Bake until the cheesecake is puffed and the edges are set but the center still jiggles slightly, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Transfer the cheesecake to a rack and let cool to room temperature, 2 to 3 hours. Run a thin knife around the edge of the cheesecake to loosen, then remove the springform ring. Serve at room temperature or cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight. Dust with confectioners' sugar and sprinkle with the toasted chopped pistachios before serving.

WHIPPED CHEESECAKES WITH PISTACHIO CRUST

Steps:

• For the pistachio crust: Blend the pistachios, granulated sugar and salt in a food processor until finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture clumps together. Distribute the mixture among 6 to 8 serving glasses, then use a muddler or the back of a spoon to pack it down firmly. Set aside while you make the filling.
• For the cheesecake: Beat together the cream cheese and powdered sugar with an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment on high speed until smooth. Beat in the vanilla, almond extract and salt, then add the yogurt. Beat on high until combined and smooth, a few seconds. Add the heavy cream and beat on high until the mixture holds stiff peaks, about another minute. Distribute the mixture among the serving glasses, then chill for 1 hour or up to overnight.
• For the raspberries: Add 1 cup raspberries to a medium bowl along with the granulated sugar and lemon juice. Muddle slightly with the back of a wooden spoon or muddler, then add the remaining raspberries and mix to combine. Allow to sit for 30 minutes for a juicy sauce or serve immediately. Spoon 2 tablespoons over each cheesecake and serve.

PISTACHIO CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• 1. Combine flour, sugar and pistachios and cut in chilled butter and mix well until consistency of shortbread dough.
• 2. Spray a 10-inch springform pan and press pistachio mixture into the bottom. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• 3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• 4. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk and pudding mix until smooth.
• 5. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined and pour over crust.
• 6. Place pan on a baking sheet and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
• 7. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
• 8. Run a butter knife around the edge of the pan then continue to cool for 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.
• 9. Loosen and remove ring; garnish with whip cream and ground pistachios and serve.

SALTED PISTACHIO SHORTBREAD

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Process pistachios in a food processor until finely ground. Remove 2 tablespoons and set aside.
• Add confectioners' sugar, butter and salt and pulse until well combined. Add flour and process until a slightly sticky dough forms (if your food processor is having trouble here, just dump dough out onto a counter or a bowl and mix by hand until no dry spots remain).
• Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan or tart pan with a removable bottom with nonstick spray or softened butter and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper.
• Press dough into the pan into an even layer (you can use your hands, or use the bottom of a measuring cup to press dough into an even layer). Dust with confectioners' sugar and sprinkle with reserved 2 tablespoons ground pistachios and flaky salt.
• Bake until cookie is just golden around the edges and dough is baked through, 17 to 22 minutes.
• Once cookie is out of the oven, remove from springform or tart pan. Dust with more confectioners' sugar, if you like. Before it cools, slice cookie into 24 thin wedges (start by cutting the circle into quarters, then slice each quarter in half, then each half into thirds to get nice, thin triangles.
• Let cookies cool completely before transferring them (they will be soft and easily broken if moved before cooled).

NEW YORK CHEESECAKE WITH SHORTBREAD CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Wrap foil securely around pan. Place on a baking sheet., In a small bowl, mix flour, sugar and lemon zest; cut in butter until crumbly. Add egg yolks and vanilla, tossing with a fork until mixture pulls together., Press onto bottom and 1-1/2 in. up sides of prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned, 12-16 minutes. Cool on a wire rack., Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in cream, flour, vanilla, lemon juice and zest. Add eggs and egg yolks; beat on low speed just until blended. Pour into crust. Place springform pan in a larger baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan., Bake until center is just set and top appears dull, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove foil. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled. Remove rim of pan. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Gradually add cranberry and lemon juices. Stir in 1 cup raspberries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in butter., Strain sauce; discard seeds. Cool to room temperature. Stir in the blueberries, blackberries and remaining raspberries. Serve with cheesecake.

PISTACHIO BAKED CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Lightly spray 9" spring-form pan with olive oil or grease lightly with butter.
• Crust - blend: flour, nuts, sugar, butter, almond extract (all crust ingredients), pulse until mixture resembles small crumbs. Press into bottom of pan. Chill while preparing other ingredients (20 min).
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Filling - mix: cream cheese, condensed milk until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time on low speed. Separate 1/2 the mixture out into a medium bowl and set aside. Mix the other 1/2 in the mixer with the pudding mix - it will be thicker.
• On top of the crust, put spoonfuls of plain cream cheese and alternate with the pistachio cream cheese mix. Use a butter knife, run in curved lines to create marble effect and smooth top with a spoon.
• Place on a bake sheet and bake for 55-65 min until the center is almost set (about the size of a quarter or 1" in the middle). Fill a casserole dish (oven safe) with water and place in the oven at the same time. This will steam the cheesecake, preventing cracking.
• When time is up, turn off oven and let the cake cool slowly with the other dish of water, to prevent cheesecake from cracking. When cool, place in fridge from 2 - 12 hours.
• Buttercream Frosting - Cream: sugar, butter, almond extract, and whip cream. Use a piping bag with icing tip to decorate cake.
• Put pistachios in zip lock bag and crush with a wooden spoon or use food processor. Sprinkle on cheese cake as desired. Enjoy!

PISTACHIO-SHORTBREAD CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse cookies in a food processor until crumbs form. (You should have 1 cup.) Process with pistachios, sugar, and salt, until fine crumbs form. Add butter, and process until mixture holds together.
• Press crumb mixture evenly into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch fluted tart pan with a removable bottom. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. Bake until golden brown, 17 to 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool.

NEW YORK STYLE CHEESECAKE ON SHORTBREAD CRUST

Steps:

• PREP------.
• As with all baking, have all your ingredients at a cool room temperature (65°F).
• Get a couple quarts of water boiling on the stove.
• Arrange racks in your oven so there's one on the lowest and one in the middle. If you do not have a center position then go mid-lower.
• Have a clean 10x14x2-inch (give or take) roasting pan ready.
• Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Grease 10 inch springform pan.
• CRUST-------.
• Gently combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 egg and 1/2 cup butter in a medium bowl.
• Spread to the edges of the pan.
• Prick all over with a fork, then bake 10-15 minutes at 400°F until lightly browned. Allow to cool on a rack.
• FILLING------.
• Increase oven temperature to 475°F.
• Turn oven light off (trust me on this one), place roasting pan on bottom rack and fill with boiling water.
• In a large bowl (I use my stand mixer), very gently beat cream cheese until smooth. I use the slowest setting for 5 minutes.
• Scrape down sides of bowl.
• Gradually add the salt, 1 3/4 cups sugar and 3 tablespoons flour -- continue to beat SLOWLY until well combined, scrape down sides of bowl.
• In a small bowl gently beat the vanilla, 5 eggs and the 2 yolks, gradually add eggs to the cream cheese mixture.
• Continue to stir until combined and smooth, stop mixer occasionally and scrape down sides.
• VERY IMPORTANT! Stop mixer, remove bowl and give it a good scraping (some of the cream cheese will stick to the sides and bottom of the bowl), replace bowl on mixer and stir until all lumps are gone.
• Add cream and mix only enough to blend.
• Gently pour filling over crust, run a thin knife around the filling in a S pattern to remove any trapped air bubbles. Let it sit on the counter for 5 minutes then do it again.
• Bake for 10 minutes at 475°F.
• Reduce temperature to 200°F and continue to bake for one hour.
• Turn oven off, but leave cake in for another hour.
• DON'T TOUCH THAT OVEN DOOR! You've created a nice, humid environment that will help prevent cracks and produce a perfect, professional, NY style cheese cake assuming you didn't mess with it by changing the atmospheric conditions.
• It may appear a little jiggly in the center and will have a golden appearance around the edges.
• Allow to cool on a rack for several hours, release the latch slightly on the side of the pan after 20 minutes, rotate sides to be sure the cake is free (but don't take it off yet), you can remove the sides after an hour (or so) if you want to admire your work, but replace it quickly or the cake may fall.
• After it's cool, wrap completely with plastic wrap, there should be a layer stuck to the top of the cake.
• Chill overnight in the refrigerator (Yes, this is required).
• The cake will stay at peak flavor for several days so long as you keep it wrapped and cold.
• What can go wrong?.
• If the cake cracks you either had your ingredients too cold, mixed the filling too vigorously, opened the oven door while the cake was cooking or didn't have a pan of water in the oven.
• If it does crack, don't despair -- just cover with a dark fruit or a layer of cookie crumbs.
• Toppings------.
• Nothing (my favorite).
• OR, boil a bag of frozen berries with a 1/4 cup of sugar until the liquid coats the back of a spoon, thicken with a table spoon of cornstarch mixed into a 1/4 cup of cold water -- Pour in slowly while maintaining the boil and stirring constantly.
• Adjust thickness by adding liquid or more cornstarch.
• Flavor with liqueur, fruit juice or extract.
• Blueberries or raspberries with Chambord is awesome, cherries work well with Frangelico or Amaretto. If you do use an alcoholic beverage, be sure to boil off alcohol. Cool fruit sauce in a mason jar and refrigerate. Keeps longer than the cheese cake!
• I've served it with caramel sauce and, buttered/sliced/baked apples .
• A light milk chocolate sauce, a sprinkle of chopped pecans and dollop of whipped cream will produce a nice turtle cake.

PISTACHIO SHORTBREAD SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Beat in vanilla. In another bowl, whisk flour and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Stir in pistachios., Preheat oven to 300°. On a surface sprinkled with confectioners' sugar, roll dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a 2-1/2-in. fluted round cookie cutter dusted with confectioners' sugar. Place cookies 1 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until edges begin to brown, 18-20 minutes. Cool on pans 5 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely., Spread preserves on bottoms of half of the cookies; cover with remaining cookies. If desired, combine confectioners' sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle over cookies.