CRUST
1 1/2 c All-purpose flour
1 pn Salt
8 tb Unsalted butter; softened
1/4 c Sugar
1/2 ts Vanilla extract
1/4 c Milk
-----APPLE-SAGE FILLING--------
1/2 c Sugar
3 tb Unsalted butter
1 tb Lemon juice
3 md Granny Smith apples; peeled
-- cored and thinly sliced
1 3" sage sprig
1 ts Cinnamon
1/2 ts Nutmeg
1/2 tb Cornstarch
-----CHEESECAKE FILLING--------
1 lb Cream cheese; softened
3/4 c Sugar
1 tb Lemon juice
1 ts Vanilla extract
1 tb All-purpose flour
8 lg Egg yolks
12 tb Unsalted butter; melted
-- cooled to room temp.
-------CRUMB TOPPING-
1 c All-purpose flour
1/4 c Sugar
1 pn Baking powder
1 ts Cinnamon
1/2 ts Nutmeg
6 tb Unsalted butter; chilled
-- cut into small cubes
In a small bowl, mix together flour and salt for the crust. In
another bowl, beat butter until smooth. Add sugar and vanilla to the
butter and beat until creamy. Add flour mixture to the butter
mixture alternately with milk; mix well.
Form dough into a ball. Press it into the bottom and 2" up the sides
of a 10" springform pan. Refrigerate 15 minutes.
With a fork, generously prick the dough in the bottom of the pan.
Bake the crust at 375 F. for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden.
Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
In a saucepan, combine sugar, butter and lemon juice for the apple
filling. Over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil. Add apple
slices, sage, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook about 10 minutes, until
apples are tender. Set aside to cool. Remove sage and stir in
cornstarch.
In a large bowl, beat cream cheese for the cheesecake filling until
creamy while slowly adding the sugar. Add lemon juice and vanilla
and beat until smooth. Add flour and beat well. Add egg yolks, one
at a time, beating well after each addition. Add butter and beat
until smooth.
Place the springform pan on a sheet of aluminum foil and wrap the
foil up around the sides. Spread the apple filling evenly over the
bottom crust. Pour cheesecake filling over the apple filling and
spread evenly.
In a bowl, mix together all the topping ingredients except the butter,
then work in the butter until the mixture reaches the consistency of
coarse crumbs. Sprinkle topping evenly over cheesecake filling. Set
the springform pan in a larger pan. Fill the outer pan with hot
water to a depth of 1". Bake at 350 F. for 80 to 90 minutes, or
until top is golden and the center is firm. Remove the pan from the
water bath and place it on a wire rack. Cool cheesecake to room
temperature in the pan. Refrigerate it for at least 2 hours before
serving.
Yield: 12 to 16 servings.
McNeely writes: "Sage adds a subtle undertone to the spicy apple
filling in this rich, creamy cheesecake."
From Ron McNeely's "Sweet Elegance" article in "The Herb Companion."
Dec. 1995/Jan. 1996, Vol. 8, No. 2. Pp. 57-58. Electronic format by
Cathy Harned.
