Apples and Cheese, a winning combination

I have been a big fan of Dorie Greenspan's baking recipes for quite some time now and have had her book, Baking, from my home to yours on my bookshelf for quite some time. Oh, I have dabbled a bit here and there in it, and always with excellent results, but not near as much as I had determined to when I first purchased it.

It's a lovely book, with beautiful pictures, which as any foodie will tell you are a pre-requisite for a cookery book being considered worthy of purchase. It's not about the recipes folks, it's about the food porn on it's pages and anyone that tells you anything different is telline porky pies!

Okay, well I concede . . . it is somewhat about the recipes too. When you happen to have both present in the pages of one book, well then that makes for a real winning combination!

I was so excited last week to discover a baking group of foodie bloggers who participate in a weekly blogging event called Tuesdays With Dorie . Each week a new recipe is picked from the lovely pages of Dorie's book and we all bake it and then post the results together!

I was so excited when I learned that the first recipe I would be baking was the lucious looking recipe (no picture in the book for this recipe folks) Brown Sugar Apple Cheesecake, as chosen by Jaime of Good Eats n’ Sweet Treats.

I love apples. I love cheese and let me tell you, after having cooked this rather delectably tasty dessert . . . . I love apples and cheese even more when they are together!

Could this be true? You be the judge . . . now where did I leave my fork? (I can't wait until next week, we're doing Amost Fudge Gateaux as chosen by Nikki of Crazy Delicious)



*Brown Sugar-Apple Cheesecake*
Makes about 16 servings

For the Crust:
30 gingersnaps (or a scant 2 cups graham cracker crumbs)
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)
1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted

For the Apples:
1/2 stick (4 tbsp) unsalted butter
3 large Golden Delicious or Fuji apples, peeled, cored and cut into eighths
2 tbsp (packed) light brown sugar

For the Filling:
1 1/2 pounds (three 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup (packed) light brown sugar
6 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp apple cider
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1/3 cup heavy cream

Apple jelly, for glazing, or confectioner's sugar, for dusting (optional)

To Make the Crust: Butter the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan.Put the gingersnaps in a food processor and whir until you have crumbs; you should have a scant 2 cups. (If you are using graham cracker crumbs, just put them in the food processor.) Pulse in the sugar and cinnamon, if you're using it, then pour over the melted butter and pulse until the crumbs are moistened. Turn the crumbs into the springform pan and, using your fingertips, firmly press them evenly over the bottom and up the sides of the pan as far as they'll go. Put the pan in the freezer while you preheat the oven. (The crust can be covered and frozen for up to 2 months.)

Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Remove the pan from the freezer and wrap the bottom tightly in aluminum foil, going up the sides. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes, or until the crust is set and lightly browned. Transfer to a rack to cool while you make the apples and the filling. Leave the oven at 350 degrees F.

To Make the Apples: Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. When the foam subsides, toss in half of the apple slices and cook, turning once, until they are golden brown, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle the apples with 1 tablespoon of the sugar and cook them, turning, just until coated, another minute or so. Scrape the apples onto a plate, wipe out the skillet and repeat with the remaining apples. Let the apples cool while you make the filling.

Getting Ready to Bake: Have a roasting pan large enough to hold the springform pan at hand. Put a kettle of water on to boil.

To Make the Filling: Working with a stand mixer, preferably fitted with a paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat the cream cheese on medium speed, scraping down the bowl often, for about 4 minutes, or until it is velvety smooth. Add the sugars and beat for another 2 minutes. Beat in the cider, vanilla, and cinnamon. Reduce the speed to low and beat in the eggs one by one, beating for 1 minute after each egg goes in. Finally, beat in the sour cream and heavy cream, beating just until the batter is smooth.

Pour about one third of the batter into the baked crust. Drain the apples by lifting them off the plate with a slotted spoon or spatula, and spoon them into the pan. Cover with the remaining batter and, if needed, jiggle the pan to even the top. Place the springform pan in the roasting pan and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.

Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour and 30 to 45 minutes, covering the cake loosely with a foil tent at the 45-minute mark. The cake will rise evenly and crack around the edges, and it should be fully set except, possibly, in the very center--if the center shimmies, that's just fine. Gently transfer the cake, still in the pan, to a cooling rack and let it cool to room temperature, then refrigerate it for at least 6 hours; overnight would be better.

Run a blunt knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the crust, open the pan's latch and release and remove the sides.

*Note: I made a few adaptions to the recipe. I added a streusal topping before I put the top layer of the apples on, which was mighty tasty, and I also cooked some extra sliced apples to serve on the side. Can you ever have enough caramelish apples??? I think not!!!

PS- The clear winner from my baking poll is Portugese Custard Tarts. Look for them on here within a couple of days. In the meantime I will be putting up a new list soon!