No, I have never been to the Kentucky Derby, but I have spent a significant amount of time in the South (Texas to be exact), so I am quite familiar with the importance of bourbon. In fact, I clearly remember when I came back home to Boston and my father offered to get me a drink at our cousin's wedding. He expected me to give him a response of the vine...a Cabernet, Merlot, maybe even a Chardonnay (although I am inclined to ALWAYS choose red over white). But instead I responded with "Bourbon and coke". I shocked both of us, and the words rolled a little too easily off my tongue. Well, I suppose that is what Texas (or the South) will do to you.
So I kind of like bourbon. I do not really drink it any more, but I use it a lot for baking. It has a wonderful deep rich taste and enhances the flavor other ingredients like butter and chocolate. When we were asked to go to a friend's house for a birthday party, I asked if I could bring dessert (which I often do, it gives me an excuse to bake, and share, and it is a gift in itself). And I really don't take no for an answer. I did not want to make a traditional cake, even though I do love layering cakes and taking the time to frost them. I wanted to make something a little different, and became instantly inspired when I looked at some fellow food bloggers' posts. Specifically, I stumbled upon Tartelette's beautiful blog and found a post on cheesecake. I was encouraged enough to make this cake that I have not made in probably 5 or 6 years. It must have been the clean images of chocolate, berries, and eggs posted by Tartelette that made this decadent dessert look refreshing for a May evening in Boston.
But then I changed things up...You see, I decided that caramel would go pretty well with the cheesecake, and in honor of the weekend's Kentucky Derby, I decided to add some bourbon to the caramel. Then, at the last minute, I tossed a little (1/4 C) of bourbon into cream cheese filling. I mean, it couldn't hurt, right? Well, no it did not! WOW, I literally had to stop myself from lifting up the mixing bowl and pouring the cream cheese mixture right into my mouth. The sweetness from the sugar mixed with the sharp taste of the cheese was enhanced by the bourbon which added a subtle kick to the whole mixture. I am sure that you could use rum as well, but the bourbon worked exceptionally well for this particular dessert.
Give it a try, you will not be disappointed!
Filling:
4 8oz packages of cream cheese at room temperature
6 eggs + 1 egg yolk at room temperature
1 C granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla bean paste
1/4 C plain yogurt
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 C high quality Bourbon (I used Knob Creek, but that because it happened to be in the house...)
Crust:
9 sheets of graham crackers
3 tbsp unsalted (or sweet) melted butter
Preheat oven to 350F. Take the graham crackers and blend in a food processor or blender until well processed. Slowley add in the butter and continue to mix. Once everything is well combined, pour onto the bottom of a well butter springform 9-inch pan. Press the graham cracker mixture into place with the bottom of a glass or ramekin until it is evenly spread out around the pan. Place the pan in the oven and bake the crust for 12 minutes. Take out of the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack. Adjust the oven to 500F.
In a standing mixer, mix the cream cheese together, occasionally scrapping down the sides as needed. Add in the sugar and the vanilla bean paste*. The mixture will begin to smooth out a little, but you will want to continually scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Then add in the yogurt and the bourbon. This is where you will want to taste things. Take a break, you have worked hard, you deserve it! After the taste, get back to work!
Add in the salt and the eggs, and yes, you might need to scrap the sides and even the bottom of the bowl. Once everything is well incorporated, pour into the pan, and bake at 500F for 8-10min. Then, decrease the over temperature to 200F, and continue to bake for about 45min. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 3 hours on a cooling rack at room temperature. Place in the fridge.
Bourbon Caramel Sauce:
1/2 C granulated sugar
3 tbsp water
2 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp mascarpone cheese
2 tbsp bourbon
2 tsp salt
Over low-medium heat, pour the sugar into a heavy bottom pan. Add the water and swirl the pan until all of the sugar is cover. Do not stir. Continue to swirl gently until the mixture is clear and the sugar has dissolved. Do not let this mixture boil. Once the mixture is clear, increase the heat to high, and let boil. You need to watch this closely. After several minutes, you will start to see the color change to a light amber and the smell will also change. As soon as this happens, the color will start to darken quickly. Once it reaches golden amber, turn the heat off and remove from the heat. Add the butter and the mascarpone cheese. Be careful, as the mixture will start to bubble up. Stir the caramel together until everything is well mixed. (NOTE: you can use heavy cream instead of mascarpone cheese, but the caramel will be different in texture and will tend to harden up. The mascarpone yields a softer more maliable caramel, which I tend to prefer.)
Then add the salt and the bourbon. Since the mixture is so hot, it will also boil once the bourbon is added. Again, be careful. This mixture is HOT. Do not stick your fingers in and try to taste it. Allow to cool for about 15-20 minutes or maybe more.
Remove the cheesecake from the fridge, and pour the caramel mixture over the top, spreading it around evenly in the center leaving about 1 inch from the sides caramel free. If the cheesecake has cracks on the top, so what. Use the caramel to fill them in! It will be even better when you cut into it since the caramel will run down the sides of the cracks and make for a more dramatic presentation. Allow the cheesecake to cool for another 3 hours (for a total of about 4-5 hrs). Bring out of fridge about 1 hr before serving. Remove from pan, and serve on plate.
I hope you enjoy! Please let me know if you have any questions!
*Vanilla bean paste can be found from many distributers. 1 tbsp is the equivalent of 1 vanilla bean pod. It has a sugar added, so is sweeter than vanilla extract. If you do not have it at home, just use vanilla extract.
