Eggnog Cheesecake With Candied Kumquats Recipes

EGGNOG CHEESECAKE III

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• In a medium bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons sugar and butter. Press into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Place on a wire rack to cool.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• In a food processor combine cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, flour and eggnog; process until smooth. Blend in eggs, rum and nutmeg. Pour mixture into cooled crust.
• Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.
• Reduce heat to 250 and bake for 45 minutes, or until center of cake is barely firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and immediately loosen cake from rim. Let cake cool completely before removing the rim.

ORANGE CHEESECAKE WITH CANDIED KUMQUATS

Steps:

• For candied kumquats:
• Combine water and sugar in medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add kumquats; reduce heat. Simmer until kumquat slices are translucent, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat; cool kumquats in syrup. Strain kumquats, reserving syrup. Combine kumquats and 1/4 cup syrup in small bowl. Return remaining syrup to same saucepan; boil until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, about 8 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover separately and chill.
• For crust:
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Combine cookie crumbs and brown sugar in medium bowl; add 6 tablespoons melted butter and stir until crumbs feel moist when pressed together with fingertips, adding remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter if mixture is dry. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Bake crust until set and edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool crust in pan on rack. Maintain oven temperature.
• Wrap 4 layers of heavy-duty foil tightly around outside of pan with crust to make pan waterproof.
• For filling:
• Combine orange juice, 1/4 cup sugar, and orange peel in small saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat. Simmer until mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Chill until cool.
• Meanwhile, using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in large bowl until smooth. Mix in sour cream, flour, and salt. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in cooled orange juice mixture. Pour filling into crust; place springform pan in large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of springform pan.
• Bake cake until just set in center, about 1 hour 35 minutes. Remove cake from roasting pan; remove foil. Place cake directly in refrigerator and chill overnight. Arrange kumquat slices atop cake, covering completely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Tent cake with foil and refrigerate.
• Remove pan sides; place cake on platter. Cut cake into wedges; drizzle some kumquat syrup over and serve.
• The KUMQUAT SYRUP is perfect with the cake-but don't stop there. It's also yummy drizzled over vanilla or coffee ice cream or in a cup of tea, a glass of club soda, or even a vodka Martini.

KIM'S EGGNOG CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons white sugar, and butter in a bowl and mix until evenly moistened; press into the bottom of the prepared pan.
• Cream together the cream cheese and 1 cup sugar using an electric mixer. Add the flour and beat until smooth. Mix in the eggs with the mixer switched to low. Pour in the eggnog and vanilla; continue beating until just blended. Stop the mixer and scrape the bottom of the bowl occasionally. Pour the mixture over the crust.
• Fill a shallow dish with some hot water and place on bottom rack of the oven. Put cheesecake on the middle rack of the oven. Turn oven heat to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C). Do not preheat oven.
• Bake the cheesecake until the center is set, about 3 hours 15 minutes. Turn oven off. Allow cheesecake to cool in the oven, about 3 hours. Chill in refrigerator overnight.

EGGNOG CHEESECAKE WITH CANDIED KUMQUATS

Steps:

• CHEESECAKE.
• 1. Heat oven to 375°F Butter a 9 - or 10 - inch spring form pan with 1 tablespoon of butter; set aside.
• 2. In food processor bowl process cereal about 2 minutes, until a fine crumb forms. Add the 1/3 cup sugar, cinnamon, and salt; process to combine. With processor running, add remaining butter through feed tube just until combined. Press crumb mixture on bottom and 1 inch up sides of prepared pan. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until crisp and lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
• 3. In clean food processor bowl, *process cream cheese until smooth. Add 1 cup sugar until combined. Add eggs; process until creamy, scraping down sides once or twice. Add eggnog, vanilla, bourbon, rum, and brandy; process until combined.
• 4. Gently pour filling into baked crust. Bake 45 minutes or until sides are slightly puffed (center will be soft). Turn off oven and leave door ajar. Let cheesecake stand in oven 1 hour.
• 5. Transfer to wire rack; cool 15 minutes. Using a small thin knife, loosen crust from sides of spring form pan. Cool 30 minutes. Remove sides from pan; cool 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. To serve, top with Candied Kumquats, if desired.
• ***Cheesecake filling may be prepared with electric mixer, beating on medium speed.
• CANDIED KUMQUATS.
• 1. With paring knife, piercing only skin, cutting four evenly spaced slits in each kumquat. Place in medium saucepan; add cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook 5 minutes. Drain in colander.
• 2. In medium saucepan stir to dissolve 1 1/2 cups of the sugar in the 3/4 cup water; add kumquats. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce to low to barely simmer. Cook, uncovered, 30 minutes, until glazed. Remove fruit from syrup with slotted spoon. Place on wire rack over 15x10x1 - inch pan. Cool 10 minutes.
• 3. Place the remaining sugar in small bowl. Roll whole kumquats in sugar. Space on rack and let stand overnight. Store in airtight container in cool, dry place up to 3 months. Kumquats may be sliced before topping cheesecake.

EGGNOG CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• CRUST:
• Using a lightly greased, 10 inch Springform pan, combine crumbs, cinnamon, nutmeg and melted butter and press firmly into pan, coming up sides 1-2 inches, depending on how thick you like your crust. Press firmly into and up the sides of the pan using a measuring cup or other flat, round utensil. Chill in freezer while you make the filling.
• FILLING:.
• Place a full kettle of water on to boil.
• Beat Philadelphia cream cheese for one minute until smooth and free of any lumps. Scrape bowl.
• Add large eggs one at a time, beating well in between. Scrape bowl.
• Gradually add sugar and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Scrape bowl.
• Add sour cream, extracts and spices and mix well. Scrape bowl making sure all of the ingredients are WELL incorporated.
• Before filling pan, wrap outside of spring form pan with tinfoil.
• Pour filling into spring form pan, and tap lightly on counter to remove any air bubbles.
• Place springform pan into a large baking pan and place it in preheated oven. Then fill baking pan with boiling water, so that it comes up about half way up the springform pan. (It is easier to fill the pan with water after the cheesecake is in the oven than trying to fiddle with getting a baking pan INTO the oven that is full of boiling water).
• Bake 325 degrees for 75 minutes.
• When done baking, turn off oven and crack open oven door slightly, and leave it cracked open while oven cools.
• DO NOT DISTURB CHEESECAKE.
• Remove the cheesecake when the oven is completely cooled.
• Remove tinfoil and dry off the outside of the springform pan.
• Place in refrigerator and chill at least 4 hours before serving.