Crème Brûlée Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 4 cups of crushed Nilla Wafers about 68 cookies
- ½ cup of melted unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
For the Cheesecake:
- 32 ounces of cream cheese softened
- ¾ cup of granulated white sugar
- 2 tablespoons of corn starch
- 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste or extract
- ⅓ cup of sour cream
- 8 ounces of white chocolate melted and slightly cooled
- 3 eggs at room temperature
- 3 egg yolks at room temperature
For the Vanilla Pastry Cream:
- 1 ½ cups of whole milk
- 4 egg yolks
- ¾ cup of granulated white sugar
- A pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon of vanilla bean paste or extract
- 2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon of cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter cubed
- ¼ to 1/3 cup of granulated white sugar for the brûlée topping
For the Brûléed Sugar Shards:
- ½ cup of granulated sugar
Instructions
For the Crust:
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Prepare a 9-inch springform pan by wrapping it with foil to prevent water leakage during baking.
- Crush the Nilla Wafers in a food processor until finely ground.
- Mix the crushed wafers with melted butter and sugar, then press the mixture into the bottom and sides of the pan.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then let it cool.
For the Cheesecake:
- In a mixing bowl, blend the softened cream cheese, sugar, and corn starch until smooth.
- Add vanilla bean paste, sour cream, and melted white chocolate, mixing until combined.
- Pour in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, mixing just until incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared crust in the pan.
- Place the pan in a larger roasting pan, then pour boiling water around it.
- Bake at 350°F for 1 hour, then leave it in the turned-off oven for another hour to cool gradually.
- Once cooled, refrigerate the cheesecake for 8 hours or overnight.
For the Vanilla Pastry Cream:
- Heat the milk in a saucepan until steaming, then set aside.
- Whisk egg yolks, sugar, salt, vanilla, and cornstarch until smooth.
- Slowly add heated milk while whisking, then transfer the mixture back to the saucepan.
- Cook over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened.
- Remove from heat, add butter, and chill until cold.
For the Brûléed Sugar Shards:
- Heat granulated sugar in a pan until golden, then spread onto parchment paper to cool.
- Once hardened, break into shards.
Assembly:
- Spread the chilled pastry cream over the cheesecake.
- Sprinkle sugar over the cream and brûlée with a kitchen torch until golden.
- Decorate with the sugar shards and serve immediately.