Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

DESSERT: CRANBERRY-ORANGE CHEESECAKE

- (Published 2016)

PG tested

Cheesecake is a classic holiday dessert. This recipe features a spicy gingersnap crust and sugary cranberrie­s on top.

For crust

1¾ cups ground gingersnap­s

⅓ cup unsalted butter, melted

Pinch of salt

For cheesecake

3 (8-ounce) bricks Neufchatel (low-fat) cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 cup Greek yogurt 2 teaspoons. vanilla extract

3 eggs

For cranberry-orange topping

1 cup water (I used orange juice)

1 cup sugar

4 cups (12 ounces) fresh cranberrie­s

Zest of one orange Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use a food processor to combine ground gingersnap­s, butter and salt. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan (or up the sides, if desired). Bake for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool. Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees.

Once pan reaches room temperatur­e, carefully wrap the outside of the pan in 2 layers of heavy-duty foil, being sure that there are no gaps where water could seep through. Place pan in a large roasting dish (or any pan larger than the springform), and bring a tea kettle or pot of water to boil in preparatio­n for the water bath. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese on medium speed for 3 minutes until smooth. Add sugar and beat for an additional minute until well blended. Add Greek yogurt and vanilla, and beat for an additional minute, stopping partway to scrape

the bottom of the bowl with a spatula. Add eggs, one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition just until blended. Do not overbeat. Pour into crust.

Place double pans in oven on a shelf on the bottom third of the oven. Very carefully use a tea kettle (or large measuring cup) to pour the boiling water in the larger pan to form a water bath around the springform pan, so that it comes up about 1inch around the springform.

Close oven door, and bake about 1 hour 30 min, or until center is almost set. (The cake should still jiggle ever so slightly.) Turn oven off, and open oven door slightly. Let cheesecake set

in oven 1 hour. Remove cheesecake from oven, carefully run a knife around the edges of the cake, and let cool to room temperatur­e. Refrigerat­e at least 4 hours or overnight.

Remove springform rim, and top cheesecake with cranberry orange topping just before serving. Store leftover cheesecake in refrigerat­or in a covered container.

To make topping: Bring water and sugar to boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cranberrie­s, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until they have all just popped. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperatur­e. There will be quite a bit of excess liquid. Use a slotted spoon to transfer cranberrie­s to the top of the cheesecake, and sprinkle with the zest of one orange.

Serves 8 to 10.

— Adapted from Gimmesomeo­ven.com

 ?? ?? Gretchen McKay/Post-Gazette
Gretchen McKay/Post-Gazette

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