How to Prepare:
Cream butter and sugar in small mixer bowl; blend in egg.
Add flour; mix well.
Spread dough on bottom and 1 1/2 inches up side of 9-inch springform pan.
Bake at 450 degrees for 5 minutes.
Cool and fill.
How to Prepare:
Cream cheese, sugar, eggs and vanilla together.
Fill muffin pan with bake cups; place vanilla wafer at bottom of each.
Fill half full of batter and bake 10 minutes or until set.
Top with pie filling.
How to Prepare:
Combine crumbs, cinnamon and margarine; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.
Bake at 325 degrees F., 10 minutes.
Combine cream cheese and sugar, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Blend in sour cream and vanilla.
Blend chocolate into 3 cups batter; blend liqueur and pell into remaining batter.
Pour chocolate batter over crust.
Bate at 350 degrees F., 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
Spoon remaining batter over chocolate batter continue baking 30 minutes more.
Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Chill.
* Chocolate chips should be melted.
How to Prepare:
Combine crumbs and margarine, press onto bottom and sides of 9-inch spring- form pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F., 10 minutes.
In 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan, melt caramels with milk over low heat, stirring frequently, until smooth.
Pour over crust. Top with pecans. Combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla, mixing at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended.
Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Blend in chocolate, pour over pecans.
Bake at 350 degrees F., 40 minutes.
Loosen cake from rim of pan; cool before removing rim of pan. Chill.
Garnish with whipped cream, additional chopped nuts and maraschino cherries, if desired.
Shortbread Crust
Cranberry Glaze Filling
White Chocolate Filling
Candied Orange Topping
How to Prepare:
Shortbread Crust: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Working on a large flat surface, such as a pastry board, place flour, pecans, and sugar in the center of the surface and mix together. Form a small depression or well in the center of the mound. Add the egg yolk and the softened butter to the well, then blend these with the dry mixture. Mix the ingredients thoroughly using your hands - there is no substitute for warm hands. Shape the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.
Chill for at least 10 minutes. Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4-inch. You should have a circle of about 11 inches in diameter. For best results, roll out your dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper, then peel away the paper and cut the crust in a 9 inch circle. Place the circle inside a 9 inch springform pan. Prick the crust several times with a fork to keep the crust from puffing up during the baking. Place the springform pan in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until light brown.
Allow to cool. Using the leftover dough, line the sides of the springform pan. Press the dough against the sides of the pan, smoothing it so as to have a continuous layer of crust all the way around the sides of the pan. Make sure that the side crust meets the bottom crust all the way around. Brush the reserved egg white onto the shell, covering the bottom and sides. This will seal the dough and keep it from becoming soggy. Set aside until ready to use.
Cranberry Glaze Filling: Mix the sugar and cornstarch together in a small saucepan. Stir in the cranberry sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice. Set aside to cool slightly.
White Chocolate Filling: Reset the oven to 350 degrees F. Boil the orange juice and piece of orange peel in a heavy medium saucepan until the juice is reduced to 3 Tbsp - about 12 minutes. Remove and discard the strip of orange peel and set aside the reduced orange juice. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, grated orange zest, Crantasia, and reduced orange juice until smooth. Beat in the melted white chocolate and then the eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined. Pour the cranberry glaze filling into the prepared crust, spreading evenly.
Pour the white chocolate filling over the cranberry layer and bake about 50 minutes (the top will be dry and the sides puffed slightly - the center will not be set). Move cheesecake to a wire rack and cool completely to room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator overnight.
Candied Oranges Topping: Cover a wire rack with waxed paper. Set aside. Combine the water and sugar in a heavy shallow wide skillet. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes longer. Add the orange slices 1 at a time and adjust the heat so that the syrup bubbles only around the edges of the pan.
Cook the oranges for one hour. Turn over the top layer of oranges and cook until the oranges are translucent and the orange peels tender, about another one hour longer. Lift and drain each orange slice out of the syrup, and arrange the slices in a single layer on the prepared rack. Let dry 1 hour. Boil the orange-sugar syrup until thick, about 6 minutes. Loosen and remove the sides of the springform pan. Set the cheesecake on a serving dish. Overlap the candied orange slices around the top of the cheesecake. Reheat the orange syrup, if necessary, and brush over the orange slices. Drizzle any remainder over each serving. Garnish: whipped cream.
NOTE: You may substitute grapefruits for the oranges in the Candied Oranges
Topping if you prefer.
