Bon Appetit Desserts (57 page)

Pistachio Brittle (see recipe)

CRUST
: Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend shortbread, nuts, and sugar in processor until nuts are finely ground. Add butter; process until moist clumps form. Press crust mixture onto bottom (not sides) of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2¾-inch-high sides. Wrap outside of pan with 3 layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Bake crust until golden, about 15 minutes. Cool crust. Maintain oven temperature.

FILLING AND TOPPING
: Beat cream cheese, sugar, and cardamom in large bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Add 1 cup sour cream, pear nectar, flour, and vanilla; beat until blended. Pour filling over crust.

Bake cheesecake until puffed at edges and softly set in center, about 1 hour 5 minutes. Transfer cake to rack; cool 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir white chocolate in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water until melted and smooth. Cool chocolate to lukewarm; whisk in remaining 1¼ cups sour cream.

Spread topping over warm cake. Chill cake uncovered overnight. Cut around pan sides to loosen cake; remove pan sides. Place cake on platter. Stand Pistachio Brittle pieces on edge in topping on cheesecake.

Pistachio Brittle

In addition to being an impressive cheesecake topping, this brittle makes a delicious gift; break it into shards and wrap in iridescent cellophane.
Makes 12 to 16 pieces

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 cup sugar

¼ cup water

¼ cup unsalted natural pistachios

Spray baking sheet with nonstick spray. Stir sugar and ¼ cup water in heavy small saucepan over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and boil without stirring until syrup is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 12 minutes. Stir nuts into caramel and immediately pour onto prepared baking sheet. Working quickly and carefully (caramel is very hot and hardens fast), press tip of small knife into edge of caramel and stretch gently. Continue stretching at several points around edge of caramel to form very thin sheet, approximately 12 by 10 inches. Cool brittle completely.

Break brittle into irregular pieces.

DO AHEAD
:
Can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Peanut Butter-Brownie Cheesecake

This recipe combines two homey favorites: A peanut butter-cream cheese filling is baked in a brownie crust. For the best texture, don’t use old-fashioned or freshly ground peanut butter; you’ll get better results with a creamy variety.
12 servings

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, diced

½ cup sifted unbleached all purpose flour (sifted, then measured)

⅛ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon baking powder

2 large eggs

1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

½ ounce bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped

12 ounces Philadelphia-brand cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

3 large eggs

½ cup sour cream

1⅓ cups creamy peanut butter

¾ cup sour cream

2 teaspoons sugar

½ cup creamy peanut butter

CRUST
: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2¾-inch-high sides. Dust pan lightly with flour; tap out excess.

Stir unsweetened chocolate and butter in heavy small saucepan over low heat until melted and smooth. Cool. Whisk flour, salt, and baking powder in small bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat eggs and brown sugar in medium bowl until very thick, about 4 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl. Beat in melted chocolate mixture, vanilla, and chopped bittersweet chocolate. Add flour mixture and beat until just blended.

Spread 1 cup brownie batter over bottom of prepared pan. Bake until firm, about 17 minutes. Cool bottom crust in pan in freezer 15 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.

FILLING
: Blend cream cheese and brown sugar in processor until smooth. Add eggs and sour cream; using on/off turns, process until mixture is smooth, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Using on/off turns, blend in peanut butter. Using small knife, spread remaining brownie batter evenly around sides of pan, sealing batter to bottom crust. Pour in filling (filling will not be as high as brownie batter).

Bake until center of cheesecake is gently set and brownie sides have fallen to form 1-inch-wide ring around filling, about 30 minutes.

TOPPING
: Whisk sour cream and sugar in small bowl to blend. Spread evenly atop hot cheesecake to within ¾ inch of edge. Bake cheesecake 1 minute longer.

Set cake on rack. Cut around top edge of pan sides to loosen cake. Cool cake completely. Place peanut butter in pastry bag fitted with small (No. 1) star tip. Pipe tiny rosettes of peanut butter around edge of sour cream. Chill cake until rosettes are firm, about 30 minutes. Cover pan tightly with foil and chill cake overnight.

Cut around pan sides to loosen cake. Remove pan sides. Transfer cheesecake to platter. Cut into wedges and serve.

Baklava Cheesecake

Inspired by the flaky, honey-sweetened Middle Eastern dessert pastry, this cheesecake forgoes the usual cookie- or cracker-crumb crust and is instead sandwiched between fine layers of phyllo pastry. To clarify butter, simmer it over low heat for a few minutes, then let it cool 5 minutes. Skim off the foamy top, then spoon the clear (clarified) butter into a small bowl. Discard the milk solids in the bottom of the pan.
16 servings

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

1 cup clover honey

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

6 large eggs

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, clarified

1 pound fresh phyllo pastry sheets or thawed frozen phyllo (each sheet about 17×11 inches)

½ cup walnuts

½ cup blanched almonds

1 tablespoon plus ½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, clarified

¼ cup water

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 1½-inch piece cinnamon stick

1 tablespoon Cognac or other brandy

FILLING
: Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in honey, then lemon juice and vanilla. Beat in eggs 1 at a time.

PASTRY
: Brush 10-inch-diameter springform pan with 2¾-inch-high sides with clarified butter. Arrange 1 phyllo pastry sheet with long edge parallel to edge of work surface (cover remaining sheets with dampened towel to prevent drying). Brush left half of pastry with clarified butter; fold right half over. Brush top of pastry with butter; place in prepared pan, buttered side up, leaving 5-inch overhang at 1 side. Cover with another dampened towel. Butter and fold second pastry sheet in same way and arrange in pan, overlapping first sheet by 3 inches. Repeat with 4 more sheets, covering entire pan. (Wrap remaining phyllo pastry sheets airtight and chill to make topping later.)

Whisk filling to reblend; pour into crust. Fold pastry overhang over filling, pressing gently to make flat surface. Bake until pastry is light brown and filling is firm to touch, about 50 minutes. Cut around pan sides to loosen cake; remove pan sides. Using toothpick, poke several holes in top of cake to allow steam to escape. Cool cake completely on rack. Chill uncovered 1 day, then cover and keep chilled 1 more day to mellow flavors.

TOPPING
: Preheat oven to 350°F. Cover rimmed baking sheet with 2 sheets of parchment paper. Coarsely grind all nuts, 1 tablespoon sugar, and cinnamon in processor. Stack 10 reserved phyllo pastry sheets on work surface. Set rim of 10-inch-diameter springform pan atop pastry stack. Using sharp knife, cut around inside rim of pan through entire pastry stack, making 10 pastry rounds. Cover rounds with damp towel. Set pan rim on prepared baking sheet. Brush parchment and inside of pan rim with clarified butter. Place 1 pastry round inside pan rim on baking sheet and brush with butter. Repeat with 4 more pastry rounds. Spread nut mixture evenly over pastry. Top with remaining 5 pastry rounds, brushing each with butter. Using ruler as guide, cut pastry into 16 wedges with sharp knife. Sprinkle lightly with several drops of water. Bake pastry until crisp and golden, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, stir remaining ½ cup sugar, ¼ cup water, and lemon juice in heavy small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Add cinnamon stick; increase heat to medium and boil until mixture reduces to syrup, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. When bubbles subside, stir in Cognac.

Flatten the pastry that is atop cake. Remove pan rim from topping. Set topping on cake, using large spatula. Recut wedges in topping. Replace pan rim on assembled cake. Immediately pour hot syrup all over topping. Cool 1 hour. Chill cake 1 to 6 hours. Let cake stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before serving.

Upside-Down Honey Cheesecakes