Prune And Walnut Cheesecake Recipes

Steps:

• Fill a roasting pan halfway with water and set on a rack in the lower third of the oven; position another rack in the middle and preheat to 350 degrees F. Wrap the outside (bottom and side) of a 9-inch springform pan with foil. Make the crust: Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor a few times until crushed. Add the walnuts and brown sugar and continue pulsing until finely ground. Add the melted butter, nutmeg and salt and pulse to combine. Press into the bottom and about 1 inch up the side of the prepared pan. Bake until the crust is lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool completely.
• Make the filling: Beat the cream cheese in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed until nearly smooth, about 1 minute. Add the maple syrup and granulated sugar and beat until smooth, about 2 more minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Increase the speed to medium high and beat in the flour, heavy cream, lemon juice and maple extract until the filling is smooth and silky, about 1 more minute.
• Pour the filling into the cooled crust. Transfer the cheesecake to the oven, placing it on the middle rack directly over the water bath. Bake until golden and set around the edge but the center still jiggles slightly, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 5 hours or overnight. Let the cheesecake sit at room temperature 20 minutes, then run a thin knife around the edge and remove the springform ring.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with 1 tablespoon of the butter and dust it with 1 tablespoon of the flour.
• Toss the plums with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and the brandy; set aside.
• Cream the remaining 8 tablespoons butter in a large bowl with 1 cup of the sugar, lemon zest, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Sift the remaining 1 cup flour, baking powder, and salt together and beat into the creamed butter.
• In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until they start to foam. Do not over beat, or the cake will be tough. Add the eggs and ground walnuts to the flour and butter mixture. Mix well.
• Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Arrange the plums on top in rings. Sprinkle with any remaining brandy-sugar syrup and the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
• Bake for 1 hour, or until the cake is golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted into the cake (not the plums) comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes before removing the sides of the springform pan and serving. Garnish with a dusting of confectioners' sugar.

Steps:

• To make the base, line a deep 20cm springform tin with baking parchment, then blitz the biscuits and walnuts to a fine crumb in a food processor or blender. Tip the crumbs into a heatproof bowl. Melt the butter in a pan over a low heat, then stir this in to create a wet, sandy texture. Tip the mixture into the prepared tin and press it into the base. Put in the fridge to chill while you make the filling.
• For the filling, dissolve the espresso powder in 2 tbsp warm water. Put the soft cheese, icing sugar, vanilla and coffee in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Pour in the double cream and whisk everything together until the mixture has thickened. (Alternatively, you can whisk the double cream to soft peaks in a separate bowl, then fold this into the cheese mixture.) Spread the filling over the biscuit base using a spatula, pushing down gently as you do to ensure there are no gaps. Put in the fridge to chill for at least 6 hrs, or ideally overnight.
• To decorate, whip the double cream and icing sugar to soft peaks, then spoon into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle. Pipe swirls over the cheesecake, then top each swirl with a walnut. Crush any remaining walnuts and scatter over, if you like. Will keep chilled for up to two days.

Steps:

• Make pastry dough:
• Pulse butter, cream cheese, sugar, salt, and flour in a food processor just until a dough forms. (Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.)
• Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 6 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. Gather dough and form into 2 balls, then flatten each ball into a 6-inch disk. Chill disks, each wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Make filling:
• Pulse walnuts, prunes, sugar, cinnamon, and Sherry in food processor until nuts are finely chopped and filling forms a thick paste.
• Form and bake crescents:
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Roll out 1 disk of dough (keep the other chilled) into a roughly 14-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick) on a lightly floured surface with a floured rolling pin. Cut out rounds with floured cookie cutter. Chill scraps.
• Put 1/2 teaspoon of filling in center of 1 dough round. Brush some of egg wash halfway around pastry, near edge, then fold dough over filling, forming a half-moon shape. Pinch edges to seal. Make more crescents in same manner, rerolling scraps (but only once).
• Arrange crescents 1/2 inch apart on 2 buttered large baking sheets and lightly brush tops with egg wash. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, in middle of oven until tops are pale golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix the graham-cracker crumbs with 2 tablespoons of the sugar and stir with a fork to combine. Grease the sides of a 9-inch springform pan and sprinkle it with the cracker mixture, shaking any excess back into the bowl. Add the melted butter to the bowl and toss with a fork until the butter has moistened the crumb mixture. Scatter the crumbs evenly over the pan bottom and press into it using the bottom of a straight-sided glass. Bake for 10 minutes and let cool. Raise the heat in the oven to 500 degrees.
• With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until it is soft and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix the flour with the remaining sugar and add it and half the maple syrup to the cheese in thirds, mixing after each addition. Add the eggs and the yolks to the batter one by one, beating after each addition. Add the heavy cream and mix again. Pour the batter into the crust and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven to 200 degrees and bake for an hour more. Turn off the oven, leave the door halfway open and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for a half-hour. Chill in the refrigerator for 4 hours and not more than 24.
• When ready to serve, heat the remaining maple syrup over low heat in a small saucepan until it bubbles and let simmer gently for 1 minute, until it has thickened slightly. Whisk in the cornstarch and turn off the flame. Add the walnuts and turn to coat. Spread them out on a piece of parchment paper to cool and harden into praline, then sprinkle over the cheesecake.

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine first seven ingredients. Add oil, buttermilk and eggs; mix well. Fold in plums and nuts. Pour into a greased 13x9-in. baking pan. Bake at 325° for 40-45 minutes or until cake tests done. Remove from oven and punch holes in top of cake with a wooden skewer or pick. Immediately combine glaze ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly; pour hot glaze over warm cake. Cool in pan.