1 c Hazelnut Praline (see recipe
8 1/2 oz Chocolate wafers
1/4 c Skinned toasted hazelnuts
2 tb Sugar
1 ts Ground cinnamon
14 tb Unsalted butter, room temp
2 lb Cream cheese, room temp
4 Eggs
1 Egg yolk
1 lb Best quality white chocolate
Melted
3 tb Frangelico
1 ts Vanilla extract
1 pn Ground nutmeg
Make the Hazelnut Praline per recipe. Process the praline in a food
processor fitted with a steel blade until finely ground. Measure 3/4
cup. Process the wafers, whole nuts, sugar and cinnamon in a food
processor fitted with a steel blade until finely crushed. Butter a 9
1/2" springform pan with 1 T of butter. Heat 5 T butter until melted
and stir into the crumb mixture. Set aside 3 T of the crumb mixture
to sprinkle over the cheesecake. Press the remaining crumbs into the
bottom and up the side of the parpared pan. Refrigerate while you
make the filling. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Beat the cream cheese
in a large mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one
at a time, and then the egg yolk. Beat in the remaining 8 T butter
and the white chocolate. Add teh Frangelico and vanilla and beat
until smooth. Stir in the hazelnut praline and nutmeg. Carefully
pour the filling into the crumb crust. Bake the cheesecake for 1 1/2
hours, sprinkling the top with the reserved crumbs 15 minutes before
the cheesecake is done. Let cool completely; then refrigerate
covered until cold. From The Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook by
Julee Russo & Sheila Lukins.
