Recipe: Passover Cherry Cheesecake

PASSOVER CHERRY CHEESECAKE

There are three parts to this recipe - the crust, filling and topping. The crust and topping can be made ahead of time.

FOR THE GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST:
1 cup matzah cake meal
1 cup potato starch
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
10 tablespoons unsalted pareve Passover margarine, cold
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted pareve Passover margarine, melted
FOR THE FILLING:
20 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup half-and-half
3/4 cup vanilla-flavored sugar*
3 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
FOR THE TOPPING:
2 (12-ounce) bags frozen cherries
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup Passover blackberry wine
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons potato starch

TO MAKE THE CRUST:
This can be prepared one week in advance and refrigerated.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place the matzah cake meal, potato starch, brown sugar and cinnamon in food processor with metal blade.

Pulse on and off until blended. Add margarine and process until ingredients are blended. Turn onto parchment paper. Press mixture together to form pea-sized lumps. Place the baking sheets on the middle and lower racks in oven. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned, switching the position after 6 minutes. Let cool.

Place the lumps in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Remove from processor, measure out 4 cups, and save remainder for another use.

Place the ground cookies and brown sugar in processor and pulse to blend. Add melted butter and pulse until the dough starts to clump together. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the sides and then press the crumb mixture onto the bottom and 3/4 of the way up sides of a 9- or 10-inch spring form pan.

TO MAKE THE FILLING:
Place cream cheese and half-and-half in processor bowl, and process until smooth. Add sugar and process until blended. Add eggs and egg yolks and pulse together until blended. Pour mixture into crust. Place on middle shelf of preheated 350-degree oven and bake 45 to 50 minutes, until top looks dull. The center of the cake should not shake when you move the pan. Remove from oven. Punch some holes in a piece of aluminum foil to let steam escape and cover top of cake.

Let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days ahead. Make the topping and refrigerate until cold. Spoon on topping before serving.

TO MAKE THE TOPPING:
Place cherries in colander over a bowl and let them thaw. Place juice in small saucepan, bring to boil and cook until reduced by half. Remove from heat and add sugar, wine, cinnamon and orange juice. Stir until sugar dissolves.

Pour sauce over the cherries and refrigerate overnight or up to two weeks. Place colander over a bowl and put cherries in colander. Put the potato starch in a small cup. Stir 1/4 cup of cherry marinade gradually into the potato starch.

Place remainder of marinade in pot and bring to boil. Add potato starch and cherries. Bring mixture to boil, stirring constantly, and cook until thickened. Allow to cool thoroughly. Spoon over cheesecake.

*TO MAKE VANILLA SUGAR:
Scrape the seeds out of vanilla beans and place both seeds and beans into 1 pound of sugar. Let the sugar absorb the flavor for a couple of days, and then use in recipes in place of regular sugar.

Makes 16 servings
Source: Passover Desserts by Penny W. Eisenberg