Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Pecan Praline Cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache




Crust
1 1/2 cups vanilla wafers- crushed
1/2 cup finely chopped pretzels
1/2 cup finely chopped toasted pecans
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg

Preheat oven to 350
In a medium bowl, combine vanilla wafers, pretzels, pecans, butter, egg and mix until well combined. press into a 9 inch spring form pan. Bake for 6 minutes- Let cool. Wrap with several layers of heavy duty foil (this will keep water from coming up the sides and into the cheesecake).

Pecan Praline Filling
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
2/3 cup dark corn syrup
1/3 cup melted butter
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla
3/4 tsp salt

In a saucepan, combine all ingredients, bring to a boil, stirring constantly- reduce to simmer and cook 8-10 minutes until thickened. Pour into crust and let cool.

Cheesecake Filling
3 (8oz) packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups firmly placked dark brown sugar
2 TB all purpose flour
4 large eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until creamy. Add sour cream, and beat until smooth. Add brown sugar and flour, beat until fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time and mix until well combined. Stir in vanilla and and cream. Pour over the praline topping.

Place the spring form pan (wrapped in foil) into a large roasting pan. Pour cold water into roasting pan to come up half way. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the water for 1 hour. Remove spring form pan and place on cooling rack.  Run a knife around spring form pan to loosten the cheesecake/ remove the pan.

Chocolate Ganache
10 oz bittersweet chocolate chips, chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 TB unsalted butter
1 TB light corn syrup

In a small sauce pan heat the cream, butter, and corn syrup over medium high heat until mixture boils. Pour over chocolate, whisking to comibine. Pour mixture over top of the cheesecake and use a spatula to spread if needed. Allow to cool 30 minutes.

Place in refrigirator over night ~ Enjoy~



1 comment:

Sarah said...

Stacy, I hope you will prepare this the next time I come to a retreat at the Ranch. Just a tiny slice couldn't be too decadent!