VANILLA BEAN CHEESECAKE WITH ALMOND CRUST

Two years ago, I made Food and Wine’s Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Walnut Crust, and it was absolutely amazing.  I wanted to make it again, but with an almond crust, to see which I preferred.  Both crusts are delicious with this cheesecake, and I have no preference.  So you can feel free to try either one with great results. 


My vanilla bean supply was exhausted, so Beanilla got another order.  This time, I lucked out.   Rare and exotic Tonga vanilla beans were on special, half off.  They are noted for their intense flavor and fragrance, and I was excited to get a chance to taste them and try them in this cheesecake.  The sour cream topping also got a hit from the vanilla beans.  My pantry has another bottle of homemade vanilla extract brewing, and I still have 4 vanilla beans to use up.  Tonga beans, I found out, are fatter and longer than other beans and have a ton of vanilla bean seeds inside.


If you decide to make this cheesecake and opt to use vanilla extract instead of vanilla beans, please use a high-quality vanilla.

What more can I say?  This cheesecake is simply wonderful.  It’s not necessary to pile on fruit, sauces or chocolates to make it better.  It’s already great, just like it is. 

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Almond Crust Inspired by Food and Wine Magazine Rating:  10 out of 10 Click for PRINTABLE PAGE

CRUST:  1/3 cup toasted almonds 3 Tbsp. sugar 1/4 cup almond flour (Bob’s Red Mill) 1/3 cup graham flour, or whole wheat 2-1/2 Tbsp. butter, melted Heat oven to 350F.  In work bowl of food processor, pulse almonds and sugar till almonds are finely ground.  Add flours and butter and pulse till mixture comes together.  Press onto bottom and 1” up sides of greased 8” springform pan.  Bake 8-10 minutes, or till set and beginning to brown.  Cool on wire rack.   Reduce oven heat to 300F! SOUR CREAM TOPPING:  8 oz. sour cream, or lite sour cream 2 Tbsp. sugar, or 1-1/2 tsp. Nu Naturals Stevia 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped, or 1 tsp. vanilla  (I used Beanilla Tonga vanilla bean) In small bowl, whisk together sour cream, sugar and vanilla.  Set aside. CREAM CHEESE FILLING:  16 oz. Philly cream cheese or Neufchatel 1/2 cup sugar, preferably fine grind (or 1/4 cup sugar + 1 Tbsp. NuNaturals Stevia) 1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped, (or 1 tsp. vanilla) (I used Beanilla Tonga vanilla bean) 2 large eggs 1 tsp. high-quality pure vanilla extract 1 tsp. almond liqueur, such as Amaretto 1/3 cup heavy cream 2 Tbsp. cornstarch Reduce oven heat to 300F!  Wipe out work bowl of food processor with damp paper towel. Combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla bean seeds in work bowl of food processor.  Pulse till well combined and smooth.  Add eggs, one at a time, pulsing just till combined.  Add flavorings, cream and cornstarch and pulse briefly to combine.  Pour over cooled crust, place on foil-lined, rimmed cookie sheet and bake 55-60 minutes, or till edges are lightly golden and cheesecake is slightly jiggly in center.  Remove cheesecake from oven; immediately pour sour cream mixture over top and smooth the surface.  Return to oven and bake 5 more minutes, or till topping is set and no longer glossy on top.  Transfer to a wire rack and cool to room temperature, several hours.  Place in refrigerator, uncovered, for another two hours.  Cover with plastic wrap applied directly to surface of cheesecake and refrigerate overnight before slicing.  Yield:  8-10 servings