Christmas Recipes
Cranberry Vanilla Cheesecake
Ingredients
Crust
- 12 vanilla sandwich cookies, broken into pieces (i.e. Vienna fingers)
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Filling
- 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 3 ( 8 ounce packages) cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 4 large eggs
Topping
- 1 ( 12 ounce) bag fresh or frozen cranberries
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup frozen cranberry juice cocktail, thawed
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
- Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Wrap outside of 9-inch springform pan with 2 3/4 inch high sides with foil.
Crust
- Blend cookies, butter and sugar in processor until crumbs stick together. Press crumbs on bottom and halfway up side of prepared pan. Bake crust for 10 minutes. Set aside.
Filling
- Using the tip of a small sharp knife, scrape seed from vanilla beans into small saucepan; add beans.
- Add cream. Bring to simmer over medium heat.
- Set aside uncovered, and cool to room temperature.
- Discard beans.
- Blend cheese, sugar and salt in processor until very smooth, stopping often to scrape down sides of work bowl.
- Add vanilla cream mixture, blend.
- Add eggs; process for 5 seconds. Transfer filling to crust.
- Bake cake until sides puff slightly and center is just set, about 50 minutes.
- Place uncovered hot cheesecake directly into the refrigerator and chill for 6 hours or overnight.
Topping
- Stir all ingredients in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar dissolves.
- Increase heat; boil for 3 minutes.
- Press mixture through sieve over large bowl.
- Spoon warm topping over cold cake. Spread evenly.
- Cool until topping is set, at least 2 hours.