Pecan Pie Cheesecake

Thanksgiving!  As usual, a holiday in our house that is not traditional.  I'm allergic to turkey, and neither D nor I like ham.  So we usually have unusual meals.  Christmas falls into this category too.  We have had Pastitsio, Tacos, Jambalaya, Sausage, and other oddities.  This year, I decided I wanted a traditional Thanksgiving.  However, D and I both got some weird food poisoning that lasted an entire week, and by the time Sunday before Thanksgiving rolled around, thinking about food was not a priority (I may have told my brother we not even have it).

So back to traditional Thanksgiving.  Our menu got abbreviated, but I REALLY wanted pecan pie.   Then I remembered my dad had asked about cheesecake in August when I saw him.  He doesn't usually ask for anything on the menus (my brother, D, and I plan the menus), so I felt obliged.  And then I remembered I found a recipe that would satisfy my dad and me.  PECAN PIE CHEESECAKE.

First, it was SIMPLE to make, provided you have a food processor.  The recipe was from Heidi's So-Called Life. This was only going to be my 2nd attempt at a cheesecake, and they still intimidate me.  However, she took into consideration everything.

Just make it.

Photo by ALB

Pecan Pie Cheesecake

From Heidi's So-Called Life
Servings: 1-10 depending on what size piece you cut

Ingredients
Crust:
1 ¾ cups vanilla wafer crumbs

Photo by ALB

¼ cup firmly packed brown sugar
⅓ cup butter, melted

Pecan Filling:
1 cup sugar
⅔ cup dark corn syrup
⅓ cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 ½ cups chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cheesecake Filling:
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (used low-fat, because I find it creamier)
1 ¼ cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 eggs
⅔ cup heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Crust:
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine wafer crumbs and brown sugar. Stir in melted butter. Press into bottom and up sides of a 9″ springform pan. Bake for 6 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Pecan Filling:
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, about 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour into crust and set aside.

Photo by ALB

Cheesecake Filling:
Reduce oven to 325°. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat cream cheese at medium speed until creamy. Add brown sugar and flour and beat until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Stir in cream and vanilla. Pour over pecan filling. Bake for 1 hour. Turn off oven and leave cheesecake in oven with the door closed for 1 hour. Remove from oven and run a knife along the outside edges to loosen cheesecake from sides of pan. Let cool. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

Photo by ALB

The IMPORTANT Part from Heidi's So-Called Life 
I always end up having a mushy crust whenever I try to do a water bath for my cheesecakes - I guess I just don't wrap the pan well enough in foil. This time I had a Pyrex dish filled with very hot water on the bottom rack while the cheesecake baked on the top rack, and I did not have a single crack!
(ALB's note- It worked. I had 1 small crack compared to my first cheesecake that had a huge one across the middle!)

Photo by ALB

So good that I had a slice for breakfast on Friday!

Photo by ALB