Pomegranate-glazed orange cheesecake
For all its virtues, the pomegranate doesn’t exactly reach out and grab the cook. It doesn’t release a burst of fragrance, the way a lemon or an orange does the instant the knife pierces its skin. There’s no inspiring rush of juice like the nectar of a peach or fig. None of the evocative crunch of an apple.
But it’s fall. They’re in season. And they’re so beautiful. So, we began to experiment. And our first effort -- a creamy orange cheesecake covered with an impossibly red pomegranate glaze and sparkling seeds -- confirmed our hunch: This is one seriously neglected fruit.
To toast almonds, heat a dry skillet and add the nuts, shaking the skillet often, for about 5 minutes.
From the story: Behold a blazing beauty
Crust
Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the vanilla wafers, almonds, sugar and melted butter in a bowl. Press the mixture onto the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
Bake the crust until just very lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let come to room temperature.
Cake
Beat the cream cheese, mascarpone and sugar in a mixing bowl on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Beat in the cream and then the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl between each egg. Stir in the zest. Pour into the cooled crust.
Place the springform pan inside a larger pan filled with about 1 inch of water. Bake the cake until the center is still a little soft but the edges are set and the top is lightly browned, 60 to 70 minutes. Let the cake cool to room temperature, then chill at least 4 hours.
Glaze
Stir the cornstarch into 2 tablespoons of the pomegranate juice and set aside.
Bring the remaining pomegranate juice and sugar to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the liquid has reduced to 3/4 cup, about 20 minutes. Stir in the juice-cornstarch mixture and simmer 2 minutes to thicken.
Let the glaze come to room temperature, then pour over the chilled cheesecake. Garnish with the pomegranate seeds.
Look for pomegranate juice with the refrigerated juices in well-stocked supermarkets.
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