Cherry Cheesecake
Graham cracker crust:
1 cup matzah cake meal
1 cup potato starch
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
10 tablespoons unsalted pareve Passover margarine, cold
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted pareve Passover margarine, melted
Filling:
20 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup vanilla-flavored sugar (see Note)
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
Topping:
2 (12-ounce) bags frozen cherries
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup Passover blackberry wine
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons potato starch
Crust: This can be prepared one week in advance and refrigerated.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment
paper. Place the matzah cake meal, potato starch, brown sugar and
cinnamon in food processor with metal blade.
Pulse on and off until blended. Add margarine and process until
ingredients are blended. Turn onto parchment paper. Press mixture
together to form pea-sized lumps. Place the baking sheets on the
middle and lower racks in oven. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until
lightly browned, switching the position after 6 minutes. Let cool.
Place the lumps in a food processor and pulse until finely ground.
Remove from processor, measure out 4 cups, and save remainder for
another use.
Place the ground cookies and brown sugar in processor and pulse to
blend. Add melted butter and pulse until the dough starts to clump
together. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the sides and then
press the crumb mixture onto the bottom and 3/4 of the way up sides
of a 9- or 10-inch spring form pan.
Filling: Place cream cheese and half-and-half in processor bowl, and
process until smooth. Add sugar and process until blended. Add eggs
and egg yolks and pulse together until blended. Pour mixture into
crust. Place on middle shelf of preheated 350-degree oven and bake
45 to 50 minutes, until top looks dull. The center of the cake
should not shake when you move the pan. Remove from oven. Punch some
holes in a piece of aluminum foil to let steam escape and cover top
of cake.
Let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days
ahead. Make the topping and refrigerate until cold. Spoon on topping
before serving.
Topping: Place cherries in colander over a bowl and let them thaw.
Place juice in small saucepan, bring to boil and cook until reduced
by half. Remove from heat and add sugar, wine, cinnamon and orange
juice. Stir until sugar dissolves.
Pour sauce over the cherries and refrigerate overnight or up to two
weeks. Place colander over a bowl and put cherries in colander. Put
the potato starch in a small cup. Stir 1/4 cup of cherry marinade
gradually into the potato starch.
Place remainder of marinade in pot and bring to boil. Add potato
starch and cherries. Bring mixture to boil, stirring constantly, and
cook until thickened. Allow to cool thoroughly. Spoon over
cheesecake.
Makes 16 servings.
Note: To make vanilla sugar, scrape the seeds out of vanilla beans
and place both seeds and beans into 1 pound of sugar. Let the sugar
absorb the flavor for a couple of days, and then use in recipes in
place of regular sugar.
Original source: "Books For Cooks: Baking teacher gets creative with
Passover desserts" Sandra Silfven |