This month I am experimenting a bit. I found a couple of separate recipes for a pear/gingersnap combination and I’m going to take the best parts from each to create a hybrid recipe of sorts. Wish me luck!
Pear-Gingersnap Cheesecake
Ingredients
1-1/2 cups of crushed gingersnap cookies (about 40 cookies)
6 Tablespoons of butter, melted
1 Tablespoon of brown sugar
2 small ripe pears – peeled, cored, and sliced (1/8″ slices)
1/4 teaspoon of ground ginger
2 Bosc pears (firm) – peeled, cored, and sliced (1/2″ wedges)
2 Tablespoons of butter
1 Tablespoon of sugar
3 Tablespoons of molasses
2 packages (8-ounces each) of cream cheese, softened
1-1/4 cup of sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
2 Tablespoons of flour
1 cup of sour cream
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, combine the gingersnap crumbs, butter, and brown sugar. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a 9″ springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
2. Prepare the Bosc pears: melt the 2T of butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pears and sprinkle with the sugar. Cook the pears, stirring occasionally, until the pears are tender and lightly browned around the edges (5-7 minutes). Add the molasses and continue cooking until syrupy (about 2 minutes more) and then set aside.
3. Prepare the other pears: in a small bowl, toss the pears and ginger. Line the cooled crust with the pears, overlapping the slices slightly.
4. For the filling: In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth and creamy (about 2 minutes). Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix until combined. Add the vanilla and flour and beat until just combined, then add the sour cream and beat until smooth (about 1 minute).
5. Pour this mixture over the pear-lined crust then gently arrange the Bosc pear slices on the top (set aside any remaining molasses syrup [can be stored at room temperature] for when you serve the cheesecake).
6. Transfer the cheesecake to the oven on the middle rack directly over a water bath. Bake at 325 degrees for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or until lightly browned and set around the edges (the center should still jiggle a bit). Transfer the cheesecake to a rack and allow to cool to room temperature before covering and refrigerating for at least 6 hours (or overnight). Drizzle with remaining molasses syrup when serving.
Enjoy!