Recipe - Cheesecake Wcranberry Jewel Topping

12 Cookies; vanilla sandwich,
broken
5 tablespoon Unsalted butter cut into
pieces; room temperature
One fourth cup Sugar
2 Vanilla beans
One half cup Whipping cream
1 One half pound Cream cheese
1 cup Sugar
1 pn Salt
4 lg Eggs
1 Bag cranberries; fresh or
frozen
Three fourths cup Cranberry juice; thawed
One fourth cup Water

FOR CRUST; Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350F. Wrap
outside of 9"diameter springform pan with 2 3/4" high sides with foil.
Blend cookies, butter and sugar in processor until crumbs stick together.
Press crumbs on bottom and halfway up side of prepared pan. Bake crust 10
minutes. Set aside. Maintain oven temperature.

FOR FILLING: Using tip of small sharp knife, scrape seeds from vanilla
beans into small saucepan;add beans. Add cream. Bring to simmer over medium
heat. Sit aside uncovered, and cool to room temperature. Discard beans.
Blend cheese, sugar and salt in processor until very smooth, stopping often
to scrape down sides of the work bowl. Add vanilla cream and blend. Add
eggs; process 5 seconds. Scrape down sides of work bowl; process just until
blended, about 5 seconds. Transfer filling to crust.

Bake cake until sides puff slightly and center is just set, about 50
minutes. Place uncovered HOT cheesecake directly into refrigetator and
chill throughly, at least 6 hours or overnight.

FOR TOPPING; Stir all ingredients in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat
until sugar dissolves. Increase heat; boil 3 minutes. Press mixture through
sieve set over large bowl, pressing firmly on solids. Spoon warm topping
over cold cake; spread evenly. Chill until topping is set at least 2
hours.(Can be made one day ahead. Cover and keep chilled.)

NOTES : This cheesecake, a delicious constrast of sweet vanilla and tart
cranberry, is a scrumptious conclusion to any dinner. Whipped cream
rosettes are a pretty finish. When cooking the cranberries save the pretty
ones to decorate the finished cake. Net time I might put a few cooked
berries into the cake mixture before baking.
Recipe by: Bon Apetite/tpogue@idsonline.com

Posted to FOODWINE Digest by Terry Pogue tpogue@IDSONLINE.COM on Dec 7,
1997