Recipe: Bananas Foster Cheesecake with Caramel Butter Sauce

Bananas Foster Cheesecake with Caramel Butter Sauce

Cookie Crust:
11 vanilla sandwich cream cookies, crushed
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Bananas Foster Filling:
24 ounces cream cheese, [softened]
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
5 teaspoons cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 egg yolk
2/3 cup pur ed banana (2 small bananas)
3 tablespoons banana schnapps
3 tablespoons light rum
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

For the cookie crust: In a small bowl stir together crushed cookies and melted butter until well combined. Press crumb mixture evenly onto the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan.

For the filling:
In a large bowl combine cream cheese, brown sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, mixing to combine after each addition. Beat in pur ed banana, banana schnapps, rum and vanilla extract. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust.

Bake at 350 degrees F. for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 225 degrees F. and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the center no longer looks wet or shiny. Remove the cake from the oven and run a knife around the inside edge of the pan.

Turn the oven off; return the cake to the oven for an additional 30 minutes. Chill, uncovered, overnight.

Just in case this cheesecake isn't quite rich enough to suit your taste, top it off with

Caramel Butter Sauce:
1 cup butter
1 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons corn syrup
2 tablespoons dark rum
2 tablespoons Galliano
3 bananas, peeled, and cut into 3/4-inch rounds
1/4 cup heavy cream, scalded

Melt butter with brown sugar and corn syrup in heavy saucepan, stirring often. Stir in the rum and Galliano. Bring to a boil and simmer 2 to 3 minutes, until thickened and bubbling. Add 3 bananas, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch rounds. Remove from heat and slowly pour in hot heavy cream, stirring constantly. Top each slice of cheesecake with a generous portion of this scrumptious sauce.