| Courtesy of Chef Mary Beth Lawton-Johnson
A beautiful dessert and one that will soon become your family’s favorite, this cheesecake makes use of time and is easy to prepare. This cake can take you from the holiday season well into the spring. This recipe makes two cheesecakes.
For the Batter:
3 lbs of cream cheese, softened
1 ½ cups of granulated sugar
6 tablespoons of sour cream
6 eggs
½ cup of heavy cream
¼ cup of Godiva Crème Brulee Coffee
Brandied Cherries
For the crust:
3 cups of graham cracker crumbs
1 cup of ground macadamia nuts
¾ cup of brown sugar
2 sticks of melted butter
For the Topping:
Good quality brandied Cherries in a jar, 4 jars
Directions: Preheat oven to 325 F.
Coat the bottoms and sides of a spring form pan with nonstick cooking spray-(optional). I do this so the cheesecake won’t stick to the sides.
Combine the crumbs, and nuts with the melted butter and sugar. Press into the bottom of the pan to form a crust. In a bowl of an electric mixer, place the cream cheese, sugar, and sour cream and beat until smooth. Gradually add the eggs one at a time. Make a cup of strong coffee using Godiva Crème Brulee Coffee. Mix ¼ cup of coffee with the heavy cream and add to the batter. Stir to combine. Pour the batter over the top of the crust and place in a pan with boiling water that comes up to the sides of the cake. Bake the cheesecakes for 40 minutes or until the tops are slightly set. Remove from the oven and the water bath and run a knife around the sides of the pan. Cover and let cool in the refrigerator.
For the Brandied Cherry Topping, you can buy it online at www.markys.com where they have a wonderful assortment of gourmet food including Brandied Cherries. One jar retails for about $12.00. To undertake to make brandied cherries, you would have to wait at least one week to six weeks for them to age, once they are canned. I suggest since it is a seasonal item and a busy holiday season buy them ahead of time.
