Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Crust:
1 and 1/2 cups walnuts 1 and 3/4 cups granulated sugar 4 tablespoons melted unsalted butter. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 inch spring form pan with non-stick spray. Take the walnuts and 1/4 cup of the sugar and pulse in a food processor until finely ground. Add the butter and mix well. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake in the 350 degree oven for about 10-12 minutes. Set aside to cool. Filling: 4 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened 2 cups sour cream 4 eggs at room temperature 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract Mix together the sour cream, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon of the vanilla and place in refrigerator until called for. Decrease the oven temperature to 300 degrees. With an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese, 1 and 1/4 cups of sugar and the vanilla just until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition. Blend in the remaining 2 teaspoons of vanilla and the almond extract. Beat in the cream slowly until smooth and pour the cheesecake batter onto the crust. Bake at 300 degrees for 65 to 70 minutes or until almost set. Topt the cheesecake with the sour cream topping you prepared earlier and spread it across the top. Return to the oven and bake five minutes longer. Remove from the oven and loosen the cake from the pan with a sharp knife but don't remove the rim. Allow cake to cool to room temperaure. Refrigerate at least 6 hours before removing the rim of the pan and serving. Serves 16.
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