Elizabeth's Praline Cheesecake For cheesecake: 1 1/2 pounds cream cheese (3 8-ounce packages) 1/2 cup sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 cup sour cream 3 eggs For crust: 1/2 stick butter 1/2 cup shell-free pecans or other type of nut 3/4 to 1 cup graham crackers For pralines: 1 cup sugar 1 cup loosely packed light brown sugar 1/3 cup cream 1/2 stick butter 1 cup nuts
For cheesecake: Soften the cream cheese in a bowl and slowly add sugars, making sure not to incorporate too much air. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add sour cream and eggs, one at a time. Refrigerate. For crust: Melt butter. Grind up pecans and graham crackers and add butter. Pack onto sides and bottom of a 9-inch springform pan (or 10-inch if you want a less-tall cheesecake). Pour the cheesecake mix into the crust. Set aside. For pralines: Cook sugars, cream and butter in a heavy-bottomed sauce pan until it reaches the soft ball stage (when you drop a small amount into a glass of cold water and the ball is soft but doesn't fall apart), or 240 degrees on a candy thermometer. Add nuts and mix together. Ladle about half of the praline mixture over the cheesecake, swirling over the top. Quickly scoop the remaining praline mixture onto a piece of parchment paper, making individual patties 1 1/2 to 2 inches in diameter. Set aside. Bake the cheesecake at 200 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours, or use a water bath at 300 degrees for about an hour. Let cool before refrigerating. Garnish the finished cheesecake with whipped cream and pralines. _______________________________________________ Cookinginthedark mailing list [email protected] http://acbradio.org/mailman/listinfo/cookinginthedark
