Texas Praline Cheesecake Food

PRALINE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Combine cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press into the bottom of a 9-in. springform pan. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes. Set side., Meanwhile, beat cream cheese until smooth in a large bowl. Gradually add brown sugar and flour. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Stir in chopped pecans. Pour into crust; bake at 350° for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 20 minutes. Refrigerate overnight. Just before serving, garnish with whipped cream and pecans.

TEXAS PRALINE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease just the bottom of a 10 inch tube pan.
• In a large bowl, cream together the butter, 1 cup brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Stir in vanilla. Dissolve the coffee crystals in water, and stir into the creamed mixture until blended. Stir together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; stir into the batter until just incorporated. Fold in pecans. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
• Bake for about 55 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on a wire rack.
• In a chilled bowl, stir together the heavy cream, salt, vanilla and remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar so that the sugar is dissolved. Whip using chilled beaters until stiff. Run a knife around the outer edge of the cake in the pan, and tap it out onto a serving plate. Make sure cake is completely cool before frosting. Decorate with pecan halves if you like.

TEXAS PECAN PRALINES

Steps:

• Line 3 baking sheets with foil and grease the foil with 1 teaspoon butter each; set aside., In a large heavy saucepan over medium heat, melt cubed butter. Stir in sugars, cream, milk, corn syrup and salt; cook and stir until mixture comes to a boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until a candy thermometer reads 236° (soft-ball stage), about 20 minutes., Remove from heat; stir in pecans and vanilla. Cool, without stirring, to 170°, about 20 minutes. Stir with a wooden spoon until mixture just begins to thicken but is still glossy, about 2 minutes., Quickly drop by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Let stand until pralines are set and no longer glossy. Refrigerate until completely set, about 1 hour. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

PRALINE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F.
• Crush 50 wafers finely; mix with 1/4 cup sugar and margarine. Press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Stand remaining wafers around edge of pan, pressing gently into crust to secure.
• Beat cream cheese and remaining sugar in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add sour cream and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.
• Bake 45 to 50 min. or until center is almost set. Run small knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate cheesecake 4 hours.
• Microwave caramels and milk in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 1 min. or until caramels are completely melted, stirring every 30 sec. Cool slightly. Pour over cheesecake; top with nuts.

PRALINE CHEESECAKE BARS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9-by-9-inch square pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
• In a medium bowl, combine the crumbs, granulated sugar and melted butter and press into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Increase the oven temperature to 450 degrees F and make the filling.
• Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until fluffy, then add the brown sugar and flour. Add the eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla. Fold in the chopped pecans.
• Pour the batter into the crust and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 250 degrees F and bake until slightly browned on top, an additional 50 minutes. Allow to cool completely, about 20 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cut into 9 bars before serving.

PRALINE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.
• Combine crust ingredients in a small bowl.
• Press mixture into a 9- or 10- inch springform pan.
• Bake for 10 minutes in preheated oven.
• When crust is done, remove from oven and set aside.
• Increase oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
• Combine cream cheese, brown sugar, evaporated milk, flour, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl; beat well.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
• Pour filling mixture into baked crust.
• Bake at 325 degrees F for 50 minutes (center of cheesecake should still be slightly wobbly).
• Cool cheesecake completely (using whatever preferred method; everyone has their own).
• Before serving, paint the top with maple syrup and arrange whole pecans in a decorative pattern on top (I usually do it in such a way as to have one pecan per slice).
• Cover and refrigerate leftovers.

PECAN PRALINE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• To make the praline: Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Spread 1 1/4 cups chopped pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes. Grease another rimmed baking sheet with butter, oil, or cooking spray. In a large saucepan, melt 1 stick of butter over medium heat. Stir in 1 cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon water. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook at a rapid boil for 7 minutes. Add the baking soda and warm pecans and swirl the pan to incorporate them (do not stir). Take care while you're swirling the pan, as the mixture will spatter a bit. When the bubbling has subsided, swirl in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Pour the mixture out onto the prepared baking sheet and use a small buttered spatula (preferably offset) to spread the mixture in as thin a layer as possible. Let cool before chopping.
• Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
• To make the crust: In a medium bowl, combine gingersnap crumbs, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 1/2 cup chopped pecans and 6 tablespoons melted butter, until they form an evenly moist, crumbly mixture. Press the mixture evenly onto the bottom and just slightly up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake until the crust is fragrant and firm, 9 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool. Leave the oven on but reduce temperature to 325 °F.
• To make the filling: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese at low speed until smooth and creamy, 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually add 1/2 cup brown sugar, 3/4 cup granulated sugar and the salt and continue beating until very smooth and no lumps remain, about 10 minutes. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally to incorporate all the sugar into the cream cheese.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, 3/4 cup heavy cream and 1 teaspoon vanilla. With the mixer going, gradually stream the egg mixture into the cream cheese mixture, beating well and scraping down the sides of the bowl until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes longer. Using a rubber spatula, fold in 1 cup of the prepared praline. Pour the filling into the crust and smooth the top.
• Bake until the edges of the cheesecake are set but the center still jiggles, 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cheesecake cool completely at room temperature before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating for at least 8 hours or overnight.
• When you're ready to serve the cheesecake, make the topping: In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment, or using a handheld mixer, whip 3/4 cup heavy cream, sour cream, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar at medium-high speed until medium peaks form. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the ½ cup prepared praline. Spread over the surface of the cheesecake. Get yourself a hot, dry knife (heat under hot running water, then wipe dry with a towel) and cut out wedges to serve up.