CREME FRAICHE CHEESECAKE WITH HONEY-RUM-ROASTED PINEAPPLE
Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted1
tablespoon sugar
Filling
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
2 large eggs
3/4 cup crème fraîche or sour cream
Topping
1 extra-sweet pineapple, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds, cored
1 cup water
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons dark rum
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend all crust ingredients in bowl.
- Press mixture over bottom of 9-inch-diameter spring-form pan with 23/4-inch sides.
- Bake until golden, about 12 minutes.
- Transfer to rack; cool.
- Wrap outside of pan with 2 layers of foil.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
- For filling: Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy.
- Gradually beat in sugar.
- Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean and blend 1 minute.
- Beat in eggs 1 at a time.
- Mix in crème fraîche.
- Transfer filling to crust.
- Place cheesecake in roasting pan.
- Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come 1 inch up sides of spring-form pan.
- Bake cake until top is dry-looking and slightly puffed, about 1 hour.
- Turn off oven.
- Let cake cool in closed oven 1 hour.
- Remove from water bath.
- Refrigerate uncovered until cold, at least 6 hours. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)
- For topping: Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Place pineapple rings on large rimmed baking sheet.
- Boil remaining ingredients in small saucepan 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Pour syrup over pineapple.
- Roast pineapple 12 minutes.
- Turn rings over; roast until tender and syrup thickens, turning rings every 5 minutes, about 20 minutes longer.
- Cool pineapple on sheet.
- Cut into 1/3-inch cubes; transfer pineapple and syrup to bowl. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill.)
- Drain pineapple, reserving syrup.
- Cover top of cheesecake with some pineapple; stir remainder back into syrup.
- Serve cake with remaining pineapple syrup.
- Makes 12 servings.