Bon Appetit Desserts (51 page)

4 large eggs

½ cup sour cream

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

½ cup peach preserves

1½ teaspoons fresh lemon juice

½ large peach, peeled, pitted, very thinly sliced

CRUST
: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grind gingersnaps in processor to coarse crumbs. Add melted butter and blend until evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2¾-inch-high sides. Bake crust until beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Cool in pan on rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

FILLING
: Combine peaches, 2 tablespoons sugar, and lemon juice in heavy large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves and peaches are juicy, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook until peaches are tender and juices thicken, about 5 minutes. Cool compote.

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add remaining 1¼ cups sugar and beat until smooth. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in sour cream and vanilla. Spoon half of cheese mixture (about 3 cups) into crust. Spoon peach compote over by tablespoonfuls, spacing apart. Top with remaining cheese mixture.

Place large piece of foil on oven rack. Place pan with cheesecake on foil. Bake cake until puffed, set in center, and beginning to brown, about 1 hour. Place hot cake on rack; cool 5 minutes. Cut around pan sides to loosen cake; chill uncovered overnight.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; keep chilled.

GLAZE
: Combine preserves and lemon juice in heavy small saucepan. Stir over medium heat until glaze comes to simmer. Strain into small bowl. Cut around pan sides again; remove pan sides. Place cheesecake on platter. Spread glaze over top of cake to within ¼ inch of edge. Chill until glaze sets, at least 30 minutes and up to 8 hours. Arrange peach slices in center of cake and serve.

Cranberry Swirl Cheesecake with Cranberry-Raspberry Compote

The red swirls that run through this creamy cheesecake look impressive, but all it takes to create them is a butter knife and a few twists of the wrist.
12 servings

2 cups fresh or thawed frozen cranberries

⅔ cup sugar

⅔ cup fresh orange juice

2 tablespoons finely grated orange peel

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

4 teaspoons vanilla extract

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

2¾ cups finely ground butter biscuit cookies or butter cookies

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

4 8-ounce packages Philadelphia-brand cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup sugar

4 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

½ cup heavy whipping cream

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Cranberry-Raspberry Compote (see recipe)

PUREE
: Combine all ingredients except vanilla in heavy large saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to medium and cook until mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Cool slightly. Transfer to processor. Add vanilla; puree until smooth. Strain into medium bowl; discard solids. Cover with plastic and chill at least 6 hours.

CRUST
: Spray 10-inch-diameter springform pan with 2¾-inch-high sides with nonstick spray. Wrap outside of pan with 3 layers of heavy-duty foil. Blend cookies, sugar, and cinnamon in processor. Add melted butter; blend until moist clumps form. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of pan. Chill crust while preparing filling.

FILLING
: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in sugar. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in sour cream, whipping cream, and vanilla.

Spread ⅓ of filling over prepared crust. Dollop ⅓ of cranberry puree atop filling. Repeat layering of filling and puree 2 more times. Using butter knife, make a few zigzag cuts through batter to swirl puree and create marbled design [1].

Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan. Place in oven and bake cheesecake until puffed around edges, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn off oven. Let cake stand in oven 1 hour, leaving oven door slightly ajar.

Transfer cake to rack. Cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Cool completely.

Remove foil from pan sides. Cover cake and chill overnight.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Remove pan sides. Serve cake with Cranberry-Raspberry Compote.

Cranberry-Raspberry Compote

In addition to being a beautiful crowning touch for the cheesecake, this compote is great over vanilla-flavored frozen yogurt or thick and creamy plain Greek yogurt.
Makes about 2 cups

1 12-ounce package frozen raspberries, thawed

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries

¾ cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Combine all ingredients except vanilla in heavy medium saucepan. Simmer over medium heat until cranberries burst and mixture thickens, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool slightly. Stir in vanilla. Cool to room temperature. Cover and chill until cold, at least 6 hours.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Key Lime Cheesecake with Tropical Dried-Fruit Chutney

Key limes are round, golf-ball-size limes from Florida that are usually more fragrant and juicy than common Persian limes, with skin that is thinner and more yellow. They’re the star players in Key lime pie, and this cheesecake is a denser, richer version of that Florida classic. Key limes are increasingly available in the produce section of supermarkets and at specialty foods stores. The peak season is late spring and summer. If you can’t find them, you can use the juice and peel of regular limes.
12 servings

⅔ cup unbleached all purpose flour

⅔ cup sweetened flaked coconut

⅓ cup sugar

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted

3 8-ounce packages Philadelphia-brand cream cheese, room temperature

½ cup sour cream

1 cup sugar

5 large eggs

3 tablespoons fresh Key lime juice

2 teaspoons finely grated Key lime peel

¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

Tropical Dried-Fruit Chutney (see recipe)

CRUST
: Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir flour, coconut, and sugar in medium bowl to blend. Drizzle melted butter over and stir until mixture sticks together. Press mixture firmly onto bottom (not sides) of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2¾-inch-high sides. Bake crust until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cool crust. Wrap outside of pan with 3 layers of heavy-duty foil.

FILLING
: Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth. Beat in sour cream, then sugar. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Beat in lime juice, lime peel, and vanilla. Pour batter over crust. Place wrapped cheesecake in large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan. Cover cake pan (not roasting pan) loosely with foil.

Bake 1 hour. Uncover and continue to bake until cake is just set in center when pan is gently shaken, about 20 minutes longer. Remove cake from water, remove foil, and place directly into refrigerator; chill uncovered overnight.

Cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Remove pan sides. Slice cake; serve with Tropical Dried-Fruit Chutney.

Tropical Dried-Fruit Chutney