Cheesecake with Walnut Cookie-Brown Butter Crust

Ingredients:

  • Crust
    • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1½ cups walnut halves
    • Pinch of kosher salt
    • ¼ cup (plus 9½ tablespoons) unsalted butter (softened)
    • 1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
    • 1 egg
  • Filling
    • 2½ pounds cream cheese
    • 1¼ cups sugar
    • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
    • Seeds from 1 vanilla bean
    • Zest of 1 lemon
    • 1 cup heavy cream
  • Blueberry Compote
    • 1 pound blueberries
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
    • Zest of ½ lemon

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Spray a baking sheet and an 8-inch round spring form pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, walnuts, and salt and set aside. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the ¼ cup of softened butter and the brown sugar together on low speed. Add the egg and mix well. Add the flour mixture to the bowl and mix just until incorporated.

Spread the dough onto the prepared baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and crumble with a fork when still warm. Return the crumbled dough to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes, stirring the mixture and breaking up any lumps every 5 minutes to ensure even baking. The crumbs should be a toasty brown color. Let the crumbs cool, then pulse in food processor until the crumbs are the size of a pea, and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, melt the remaining 9½ tablespoons of butter and continue cooking until the butter turns amber brown and smells caramelized but not burned, about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat.

Place the crumbs in a medium bowl. Add just enough of the browned butter to make the crumbs hold together. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared spring form pan on the bottom only.

Chill for an hour before filling.

Filling

Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds, and lemon zest until smooth. Gradually add the cream and mix just until smooth.

Spread the filling over the prepared crust, using a small offset or rubber spatula to make sure the filling is spread evenly and there are no air bubbles. Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.

Garnish with blueberry compote. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Blueberry Compote

In a medium sauce pan over low heat, combine all the ingredients and cook until the compote thickens and coats the back of a cold spoon, about 20-30 minutes.

Cool the pan in an ice bath, then transfer the compote to a covered container and refrigerate until ready to use.

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