Holiday Spice Cheesecake Recipes

Steps:

• Place graham crackers and walnuts in a food processor; cover and process until nuts are finely chopped. Add butter and cinnamon; process until blended. Press onto the bottom and 2 in. up the sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan; set aside., For filling, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugars until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in the sour cream, vanilla, cinnamon, allspice and salt. Pour into crust. Place pan on a baking sheet. , Bake at 350° for 55-65 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. , For topping, in a small bowl, beat cream until it begins to thicken. Add confectioners' sugar; beat until soft peaks form. Transfer to a pastry bag with a star tip. Pipe around edge of cheesecake; sprinkle with cinnamon.

Steps:

• For the crust: Place the cookies and brown sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Process until finely ground, about 1 minute. With the processor running, slowly pour in the butter. Process the mixture until it is the texture of coarse sand, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to an 8-inch springform pan. Using a measuring cup, press the crust into the bottom and about 2 1/2 inches up the sides of the springform pan. Press firmly to pack and make an evenly thick crust. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes.
• For the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until softened and smooth, about a minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the granulated sugar; beat to combine. Add the sour cream, confectioners' sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest and apple pie spice. Beat to combine until very smooth, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
• In a medium bowl, beat the heavy cream and vanilla extract with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 4 minutes. Add a third of the whipped cream to the cream cheese mixture and gently fold in with a rubber spatula until completely combined. (Scoop the mixture from the bottom of the bowl and fold over the top to combine the mixture, without letting all of the air out of the whipped cream). Add the remaining two-thirds of the whipped cream and continue to gently fold until completely combined.
• Remove the crust from the freezer and add the filling. Gently push into an even layer and smooth the top with the back of a spoon. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 12 hours or up to overnight.
• Loosen the cheesecake from the springform pan by running a knife along the edge, then opening the clasp. Slice and drizzle with the caramel sauce to serve.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• To make the crostini, cut the baguettes into 1/4-inch thick slices. Using a pastry brush, brush the baguette slices with olive oil. Place on 2 foil-lined baking sheets and bake until crisp and golden, about 12 to 15 minutes. Reserve 25 of the crostini slices for the cheesecake. Cool the remaining crostini, then store in an airtight container until ready to serve.
• To make the cheesecake crust, put the 25 crostini slices in a food processor and run the machine until crostini are like bread crumbs, about 1 minute. Add the melted butter and pulse a few times to combine. Press the bread crumbs into the bottom of the cheesecake pan. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
• To make the cheesecake, wrap the outside of the cheesecake pan with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. Place the ricotta, cream cheese, and goat cheese in a food processor. Pulse to mix. Add the eggs, sugar, and salt and pulse a few times until well mixed. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the red pepper, basil, and thyme.
• Pour the cheese mixture into the cheesecake pan. Place the cheesecake pan in a roasting pan. Pour enough hot water in the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan. Bake until the cheesecake is golden at the edges and the center of the cake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour (the cake will become firm when it is cold.)
• Transfer the cake to a wire rack to cool for 1 hour. Refrigerate until the cheesecake is cold, at least 3 hours and up to 2 days.
• To serve, combine the jam and the hot water in a small bowl and stir until the jam is liquefied. Remove the cheesecake from the springform pan by running a knife around the inside of the rim and unlatching the pan's ring. Then, run a long metal spatula under the cheesecake and gently slide onto a serving plate. Drizzle the jam mixture over the top of the cheesecake, encouraging some of the jam to run down the sides. Serve with the reserved crostini alongside.