Vanilla Bean Cheesecake With Chocolate Crust And Vanilla Salted Caramel Recipe 465

VANILLA BEAN CHEESECAKE WITH CHOCOLATE CRUST AND VANILLA SALTED CARAMEL RECIPE - (4.6/5)

Steps:

• Bake the cookies following Smitten Kitchen's recipe or buy them. If you choose to bake them, make sure you roll out the dough as thin and evenly as possible before baking. I divided the batch in half and then rolled the dough out to 1/4 inch thick onto a silpat with plastic wrap on top (this keeps the dough from sticking to the rolling pin). The cookies can be baked the day before. Break them into pieces and store covered. Put the cookies or cookie pieces into a food processor and pulse until they are fine crumbs. Remove the crumbs from the bowl, measure out 4 cups of crumbs, and put them back into the food processor. Add the flour and pulse to combine. Add the melted butter and pulse until the cookie crumbs have the consistency of wet sand. Press about 2 cups the crust into the bottom of the 9′" springform pan and then the rest up the sides of the pan to the top edge. You should use all of the crust mix. Preheat oven to 325 degrees Put the milk in a small pot. Split open the vanilla bean and scrape out the seeds inside. Put both into the pot with the milk. Heat the milk until it's hot, but not boiling. Turn off the heat and let the vanilla and milk steep for 15 minutes. Remove the vanilla pod and if it's softened more by being in the milk, you may be able to scrape out more seeds. If so, whisk them into the milk. For the filling, put the cream cheese into a mixing bowl (I use a KitchenAid stand mixer, but you can use a hand mixer if you have one). Add in the sugar and beat until combined with the cream cheese and very smooth. Crack the eggs into a separate bowl, and with the mixer on, slowly beat in the eggs one at a time. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides with a spatula. Turn it on again and add in the milk with the vanilla beans, beat until it's all combined and there are no lumps. Pour the filling into the pan with the crust. Place the pan on a cookie sheet lined with foil (sometimes the butter in the crust melts and runs from the pan). Bake for 55 min-1 hour at 325 degrees until set but still soft and jiggly in the center. While the cheesecake is cooking, mix together the sour cream, sugar and vanilla. When the cheesecake is done, remove from the oven for 10 minutes, but leave the oven on. After 10 min, spread the sour cream topping on the cheesecake and return to the oven for 10 more minutes. Remove, place on a cooling rack and allow to cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate before serving for at least 4 hours. The cheesecake can be made up to two days in advance. Caramel topping: In a small, heavy bottomed pot, melt the sugar with water. Cook over high heat until deep amber in color. Remove from heat, and carefully whisk in the cream (it will bubble up). Whisk in the butter, and if the caramel has cooled too much to melt the butter, return to a low heat and whisk until it is all incorporated. Whisk in the 1 tsp fleur de sel. Allow the caramel to cool and pour over the top of the baked and cooled cheesecake. Garnish the top with flakes of fleur de sel. Note; If you are making the cheesecake in advance, I recommend you save the salt garnish until right before serving because if refrigerated, the moisture in the refrigerator will melt the salt.

CHOCOLATE & VANILLA CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• PREPARE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST--------.
• Mix cracker crumbs, sugar& melted butter.
• Press mixture onto bottom and ½ inch up side of 9 inch springform pan.
• Bake at 350° for 8 to 10 minutes.
• Cool.
• CHEESECAKE-------.
• Combine cream cheese, ¾ cup sugar, sour cream& 2 teaspoons vanilla in a large bowl; beat on med.
• speed until smooth.
• Add flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, blending well.
• Add eggs; beat well.
• COCOA MIXTURE------.
• Combine cocoa and ¼ cup sugar in small bowl.
• Add oil and ½ teaspoon vanilla.
• Add 1 ½ cups of the cream cheese mixture; mix until well blended.
• Spoon plain and chocolate mixtures alternately into prepared crust, ending with dollops of chocolate on top; gently swirl with knife for marbled effect.
• Bake at 450° for 10 minutes; do not open the oven door; decrease temp.
• to 250° and continue to bake for 30 minutes.
• Turn off oven.
• Leave the cheesecake in the oven for 30 minutes without opening the door.
• Remove from oven.
• Loosen cake from side of pan.
• Cool completely.
• Chill thoroughly.

THE BEST VANILLA BEAN CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Split 1 vanilla bean lengthwise with the tip of a sharp knife. Holding the pod open, scrape seeds from each half using the flat side of your knife; place in a bowl. Repeat with second vanilla bean, placing seeds in a separate bowl.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Mix graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 1/4 white sugar together in a bowl. Press over the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
• Combine 2 packages cream cheese, sour cream, 1 cup white sugar, and cornstarch in a large bowl; mix until sugar is dissolved. Add seeds from 1 vanilla bean, softened butter, and vanilla extract; blend until smooth. Pour over graham cracker crust.
• Bake in the preheated oven until top is a light tan color, 30 to 35 minutes. Cool for 1 to 2 hours.
• Beat 2 cups heavy cream in a chilled bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Add 1/4 confectioners' sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until cream is stiff. Place in the refrigerator.
• Melt white chocolate in top of a double boiler over simmering water, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching. Remove from heat and let cool, about 5 minutes.
• Beat 1 package cream cheese with an electric mixer until fluffy. Beat in white chocolate until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Spread over the cooled cheesecake. Chill for 1 to 2 hours.
• Beat 1 cup heavy cream in a chilled bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beat in seeds from the second vanilla bean and 1 1/2 tablespoon confectioners' sugar until stiff peaks form. Spread over cheesecake. Cover and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 day.

VANILLA BEAN CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C), and lightly butter a 10 inch springform pan.
• Place the sandwich cookies into a plastic bag, and crush with a rolling pin. Pour the crumbs into a bowl, and mix with the scraped seeds of 1 vanilla bean. Drizzle the crumbs with melted butter and stir to combine. Press the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan, and set aside.
• Place the softened cream cheese and sugar into the work bowl of an electric mixer, and beat for about 3 minutes on Medium speed, until the mixture is smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, incorporating each egg before adding the next one. Add the scraped seeds of 2 vanilla beans, the vanilla extract, sour cream, and heavy cream, and beat on Medium-High speed for about 1 minute, until the mixture is blended and smooth.
• Pour the mixture into the cookie crumb crust, leaving about 2 inches of space from the top of the pan for the cake to expand as it bakes.
• Place a baking dish onto the bottom rack of the preheated oven, and fill it halfway with boiling water. Place the cheesecake onto the middle rack, above the pan of boiling water, and bake until a small knife inserted into the middle of the cheesecake comes out clean, about 1 hour and 20 minutes.
• Turn the oven off and let the cheesecake cool down inside the oven for 1 hour. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.

VANILLA CHEESECAKE WITH CHOCOLATE GLAZE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F
• In a small saucepan, melt 5 tablespoons butter. In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and 1/4 cup sugar. Stir in melted butter until crumbs are moist. Pour mixture into a 9-inch springform pan; press firmly, forming a 1/2-inch crust up sides of pan. Bake until set, 12-15 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.
• Reduce temperature to 275°F In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese until smooth. Slowly add remaining cup sugar. Scrape in vanilla seeds; reserve pod for another use. Beat until well combined, about 3 minutes.
• Drizzle in eggs, one at a time, stopping occasionally to scrape down bowl, Beat in sour cream and salt, Pour batter into crust.
• Bake cheesecake until sides have set but center appears soft, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack to cool. Run a paring knife around the ourside of crust, loosening it from pan. When cool, cover tightly with plastic; let set at least 4 hours or overnight.
• To serve place chocolate, remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and cream in top of double boiler, or a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, Srir occasionally until melted. Remove from heat; let cool slightly. Pour chocolate glaze over cheesecake; spread into a circle, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Chill just until chocolate has set, about 10 minutes.