Vanilla Bean Cheesecake With Walnut Crust Food

VANILLA BEAN CHEESECAKE WITH WALNUT CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350° and butter a 10-inch springform pan.
• In a food processor or blender, pulse walnuts with 1/4 cup of the sugar until finely ground. Add butter and pulse until the mixture looks like moist sand. Press crumbs into bottom of pan. Bake for 12 minutes, or until lightly browned around the edges.
• In a small mixing bowl, mix sour cream with 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla extract. Cover and set aside.
• Reduce the oven temperature to 300°.
• In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle or using a handheld electric mixer, beat cream cheese on low speed with the remaining sugar and the vanilla seeds until JUST combined. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add remaining vanilla extract and the almond extract. Slowly mix in cream until smooth. Pour batter into pan and bake for 65 minutes or until lightly golden and slightly jiggly in the center.
• Immediately pour the sour cream topping over the cheesecake and smooth the surface with back of spoon or spatula.
• Return to oven and bake an additional 5 minutes.
• Place on wire rack and let cool to room temperature.
• Run a thin sharp knife around cake and remove the ring.
• Refrigerate for 3 hours. Remove cheesecake and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Return to refrigerator and leave overnight before serving.

VANILLA BEAN CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F
• In a bowl, mix together the crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and ground pecans if you have them. Add the butter and mix well. Press evenly into the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake about 8 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool.
• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until creamy and smooth. Add the sugar a few tablespoons at a time and then the flour and vanilla extract. Add the eggs and heavy cream, beating on low speed until it is all combined. Split open your vanilla beans and scrape out the seeds and guts inside the bean. Add this to your batter. Save your split beans to garnish the top of the cheesecake.
• Pour the batter into the pan and bake in the middle of the oven until set, the center should be slightly soft. It should bake for 55 to 70 minutes. Remove from the oven, loosen the outer ring and let cool in the pan.
• Refrigerate the cake, for about 6 hours, then remove the outer ring. Top with the vanilla beans and a sprig of something green like peppermint leaf.

VANILLA BEAN CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 9 in springform pan with foil and spray with non-stick spray.
• Mix the graham crackers with 1/4 C sugar.
• Add the egg yolk, 1/4 t. vanilla, and melted butter, in that order.
• Press mixture into the pan, and bake for 8 minutes (or until edges are slightly brown).
• Remove and let cool.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine cream cheese, sour cream, cornstarch, and 1 C sugar, mixing until sugar dissolves. Add butter, 1/2 t vanilla, and beans from one vanilla pod, blend until smooth. Spread on crust.
• Bake 30-35 minutes, cool 1 hour.
• In a cold mixing bowl, beat 1 C cream until soft peaks form. Add 2 T powdered sugar, and continue beating. Place in another bowl in fridge. Without washing first bowl, beat the 1/3 less fat cream cheese in it, until fluffy. Add the white chocolate, and beat until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream from fridge; place back in fridge.
• In another cold bowl, beat 1 C whipping cream until soft peaks form. Add 1 T powdered sugar, and beans from one vanilla pod beating until stiff peaks form.
• Spread mousse evenly on top (cream cheese/white chocolate mixture). Refrigerate for an hour, then spread whipped cream on top. Refrigerate several hours before serving.