Pistachio Cheesecake with Cardamom-Orange Glaze

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Recipe: Pistachio Cheesecake with Cardamom-Orange Glaze

Serves 12

Time overnight

Eat with Muscat / Viognier

Crust:

14 oz (400g) sweet biscuits (vanilla wafers or other tea cookies of choice)

1/3 cup (75g) melted butter

3.5 oz (100g) blanched almonds

1 tsp ground cardamom 

optional: a bit of sugar

Filling:

3 x 8oz (680g) packages of cream cheese

8 Tb of orange blossom honey

4 eggs

1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream

2-3 tsp of orange blossom water

zest of one orange

Glaze: (adapted from Angela's Food Love)

3/4 cup orange juice

juice of 2 limes

3 Tb orange blossom honey

3 Tb acacia honey

2 Tb chestnut honey

8 cardamom pods - only the inner seeds well crushed (mortar-pestle/spice grinder)

2 handfuls of chopped pistachios

 

1) Heat oven to 375F/190C. Get out a spring-form pan and rub a bit of butter around the insides. 

2) Make the crust: In a food processor/plastic bag with rolling pin, crush the biscuits and almonds. In a bowl, work in the melted butter, cardamom, and optional sugar so that it is slightly moist.

3) Press 2/3 of the crust into the bottom of the pan. Reserve the rest for the topping.

4) In a large bowl, mix together on high the cream cheese and honey. Slowly mix in the eggs. Finally, mix in the cream, orange blossom water and zest. Beat only until well incorporated.

5) Pour into the pan. Place in a water bath (i.e. in another larger pan filled with 1 cm of water.) Cover with aluminum and bake 1 hour 15 minutes. Take off the aluminum after 45 minutes. Check at 1 hour (if your pan is large, it may be finished at this point.) When slightly darkened on top and it doesn't wiggle too much, turn off oven, but keep the pan in the oven with the door open for 20 minutes. This will help prevent post-bake cracking. 

6) When the cake is still warm, mix the chopped pistachios with the remaining crust crumbles and gently place over top of cake. Let cool. Refrigerate for 6-10 hours. 

7) Make glaze: in a saucepan, heat orange juice, lime juice, honeys and crushed cardamom seeds until softly boiling. Lower heat and simmer until thickened (about 15 minutes). Let cool completely. Pour over top of cooled cheesecake and refrigerate again at least 1 hour.

Enjoy.
Jo