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Arizona
Sunset Cheesecake
Shortbread
Crust
1 1/2 c Flour
1/2 c Finely ground pecans
1/3 c Sugar
1 lg Egg, separated
1/2 c Butter, softened
Cranberry Glaze Filling
1 cn Whole berry cranberry-
sauce OR 2 cups cranberry
orange relish
2 tb Sugar
1 tb Cornstarch
1 tb Grated lemon zest
1 tb Lemon juice
White Chocolate Filling
1 1/2 c Fresh orange juice
1-3 Inch x 1 inch piece- of
orange peel (orange part only)
4 8 oz pkgs cream cheese
2/3 c Sugar
1 tb Grated orange zest
2 tb Cranberry Liqueur (such-
as Crantasia Schnapps)
8 oz White chocolate, melted
4 Eggs
Candied Orange Topping
4 c Water
2 c Sugar
3 Seedless oranges (unpeeled)-
cut into paper-thin slices
Garnish
Whipped Cream
Shortbread Crust:
Preheat the oven to 400
degrees F.
Working on a large flat
surface, such as a pastry
board, place flour, pecans,
and sugar in the center of the
surface and mix together. Form
a small depression or well in
the center of the mound. Add
the egg yolk and the softened
butter to the well, then blend
these with the dry mixture.
Mix the ingredients thoroughly
using your hands -- there is
no substitute for warm hands.
Shape the dough into a ball
and wrap in plastic wrap.
Chill for at least 10 minutes.
Roll out the dough to a
thickness of about 1/4-inch.
You should have a circle of
about 11 inches in diameter.
For best results, roll out
your dough between 2 sheets of
waxed paper, then peel away
the paper and cut the crust in
a 9 inch circle. Place the
circle inside a 9 inch spring
form pan. Prick the crust
several times with a fork to
keep the crust from puffing up
during the baking. Place the
spring form pan in the oven
and bake for 15 to 20 minutes,
or until light brown. Allow to
cool. Using the leftover
dough, line the sides of the
spring form pan. Press the
dough against the sides of the
pan, smoothing it so as to
have a continuous layer of
crust all the way around the
sides of the pan. Make sure
that the side crust meets the
bottom crust all the way
around. Brush the reserved egg
white onto the shell, covering
the bottom and sides. This
will seal the dough and keep
it from becoming soggy. Set
aside until ready to use.
Cranberry Glaze Filling:
Mix the sugar and cornstarch
together in a small saucepan.
Stir in the cranberry sauce.
Cook over medium heat,
stirring constantly, until
thick. Stir in the lemon zest
and lemon juice. Set aside to
cool slightly.
White Chocolate Filling:
Reset the oven to 350 degrees
F. Boil the orange juice and
piece of orange peel in a
heavy medium saucepan until
the juice is reduced to 3 Tbsp
- about 12 minutes. Remove and
discard the strip of orange
peel and set aside the reduced
orange juice. Using an
electric mixer, beat the cream
cheese, sugar, grated orange
zest, Crantasia, and reduced
orange juice until smooth.
Beat in the melted white
chocolate and then the eggs,
one at a time, beating just
until combined. Pour the
cranberry glaze filling into
the prepared crust, spreading
evenly. Pour the white
chocolate filling over the
cranberry layer and bake about
50 minutes (the top will be
dry and the sides puffed
slightly - the center will not
be set). Move cheesecake to a
wire rack and cool completely
to room temperature. Chill in
the refrigerator overnight.
Candied Oranges Topping:
Cover a wire rack with waxed
paper. Set aside. Combine the
water and sugar in a heavy
shallow wide skillet. Stir
over medium heat until the
sugar dissolves. Simmer 5
minutes longer. Add the orange
slices 1 at a time and adjust
the heat so that the syrup
bubbles only around the edges
of the pan. Cook the oranges
for one hour. Turn over the
top layer of oranges and cook
until the oranges are
translucent and the orange
peels tender, about another
one hour longer. Lift and
drain each orange slice out of
the syrup, and arrange the
slices in a single layer on
the prepared rack. Let dry 1
hour. Boil the orange-sugar
syrup until thick, about 6
minutes. Loosen and remove the
sides of the spring form pan.
Set the cheesecake on a
serving dish. Overlap the
candied orange slices around
the top of the cheesecake.
Reheat the orange syrup, if
necessary, and brush over the
orange slices. Drizzle any
remainder over each serving.
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