nola style cheesecake

[made in brooklyn]

nola style cheesecake

last october, jack and i walked down the aisle and said our 'i do's,' in one of the south's most fascinating cities, new orleans.  we had a three day party with our closest friends and family and took in all the sights, sounds, off-the-wall cocktails and culinary specialties nola had to offer.  this past weekend, friends of ours that had celebrated with us threw a dinner party and made one of their favorite dishes from a recipe they had picked up on that trip.  my job was dessert.  i wanted something that embodied nola's signature flavors and also wanted to marry in some local ingredients too.  i decided to top my grandma lou's cheesecake recipe with pralines, a little lemon zest and serve some fresh whipped cream on the side. instead of using dark corn syrup to make my pralines, i used our own duchess county's crown maple syrup.  the maple syrup made a deliciously glossy glaze. trust me, a few bites of this rich and decadent dessert are all you need~

prep time: 15 mins
cook time: 1 hour
ingredients:
crust

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 15 full crackers if you want to smash them yourself)


• 1/4 cup sugar


• 1/2 cup melted butter

filling

• (5) 8 oz packages philadelphia cream cheese


• 1 and 3/4 cups sugar


• 3 tablespoons flour


• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice


• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract


• 5 eggs


• 2 egg yolks


• 1/4 cup heavy cream

praline topping

• 3/4 cup crown maple syrup (amber)


• 1-1/2 cups chopped pecans


• 2 tablespoons light brown sugar


• 2 tablespoons corn starch


• 1/4 cup crown maple syrup (to drizzle)


• zest of 1 lemon


• pinch of salt

preheat oven to 500 degrees. mix crust ingredients together and line a spring form pan.  use a heavy pint glass to pack crust, then refrigerate until needed. mix together first five filling ingredients (cream cheese, sugar, flour, lemon juice and vanilla ) and beat at a high speed.  add eggs one at a time and then mix in heavy cream. beat on high until all is smooth and creamy and pour mixture into crust.  bake for 10 minutes at 500, then turn down to 250 degrees and bake for another hour. let cheesecake cool completely, then refrigerate. 
once your cake has cooled, get started on your pralines.  on medium heat, add 3/4 cup maple syrup, brown sugar and corn starch to a heavy bottomed pot.  continue stirring until mixture lightens in color and bubbles start to form.  add pecans and continue to stir.  when the mixture starts to tighten up and get sticky, add the lemon zest and then top your cheesecake. heat the remaining maple syrup and drizzle over the cheesecake and last, sprinkle with a pinch of salt. 
refrigerate again until you're ready to serve~