POLENTA CHEESE CAKE WITH PINE NUT SAUCE
from Bon AppetitFor pastry dough:
1/2 cup all purpose flour
2 tb sugar
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tb cold unsalted water, cut into bits
2 tsp ice water

For filling:
3 tb rum
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 1/2 cups cooled prepared Polenta
2 8oz packages cream cheese softened
1 cup sugar
3 whole large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon

For sauce:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1 tsp vanilla.Preheat oven to 400 F Make pastry dough. In an 8 by 3 inch springform pan stir together flour sugar and salt and with your fingertips blend in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in ice water until incorporated and press mixture evenly onto bottom of pan. Bake pastry in middle of oven until golden, about 12 minutes.Make filling while pastry is baking. In a small saucepan bring rum with raisins to a boil, stirring occassionally, and remove pan from heat. With back of a spoon force Polenta through a coarse sieve into a bowl to break up lumps. Stir in cream cheese until smooth and whisk in remaining ingredients until combined well.

Reduce temperature to 350 F Drain any liquid from raisins. Pour filling over pastry and gently stir in raisins. Bake cheesecake in middle of oven 1 hour or until edges are golden but middle trembles slightly. Turn off oven and cool cheesecake in oven 1 hour. Remove cheesecake from oven and chill, covered until cold. Cheesecake may be made 2 days ahead and chilled, covered. Make sauce: In a heavy saucepan cook sugar over moderate heat, without stirring, until it begins to melt. Continue to cook sugar, stirring with a fork, until melted and swirl pan until a deep caramel. Add water (mixture will bubble up) and cook, stirring, until caramelized sugar dissolves. Cool sauce slightly and stir in the pine nuts and vamilla until combined. Serve cheesecake as a dessert, drizzled with sauce.It is extremely important that in both recipes you follow the process which requests to force the Polenta with the back of a spoon through a coarse sieve. Any other way will alter the texture of the final product. Believe me, I learned my lesson the hard way.This cheesecake makes a wonderful different gift for Christmas and is greatly appreciated.