Roasted Corn Cheesecake with Cranberry Blueberry Compote
This roasted corn cheesecake with cranberry blueberry compote is an unexpected yet perfectly appropriate Thanksgiving dessert. Lighter-textured than traditional cheesecake, it almost melts in your mouth, and the cranberries and blueberries marry beautifully to complement the dessert.
5-7ozgranulated sugardepending on how sweet you like your cheesecake
1teaspoonkosher saltmaybe a bit more, to taste
3large eggsat room temperature
1 ½cupscorn-infused cream
1teaspoonvanillaMexican vanilla is preferable but not mandatory
For the Cranberry Blueberry Compote
1 ½cupsfresh or frozen cranberries
1 ½cupsfresh or frozen blueberries
heavy pinch salt
3 ½ozgranulated sugar(1/2 cup)
3ozapple cider(roughly 1/3 cup)
zest of one lime
2teaspoonscorn starch
Instructions
For the Crust
Place the cookies in a zip top bag, in the bowl of your food processor or in your blender. Either bash them to dust with a rolling pin or do the same in one of the appliances.
Melt the butter and mix evenly into the cookie crumbs.
Press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of your pan.** (See Notes) This yields a relatively thick crust of about 1/3", which I quite like. You can reduce the number of cookies to 30 for a thinner crust. Either way, bake at 350F until the crust has darkened by a shade or two, about 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.
For the Cheesecake
Rub the ears of corn with a very thin coating of neutral oil. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 1-1 1/2 hours, turning every 15 minutes or so, until the corn is lightly golden brown in spots and the kernels have shrunk.
Cut the kernels off the cob, and cut the cobs into 3-4 pieces each.
Add the 1 3/4 cup heavy cream, the corn kernels and pieces of cob to a medium pan. Heat over medium-high heat to a high simmer. Do not let it boil. Remove from the heat and let the corn steep in the cream for about an hour.
Fish out all the cob pieces and then put the cream and kernels into your blender (or use an immersion blender). Blend until fairly smooth, and then strain through a fine mesh strainer. Discard all the corn solids. You should have 1 1/2 cups of corn-infused cream.
Heat oven to 325F.
Using a stand mixer on low speed or hand mixer on no more than medium speed, cream the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar (start with the smaller amount and add more later if you need it) and the salt and mix until smooth.
Add the eggs, one at a time, still keeping the speed low. Mix until smooth, and scrape the bowl as necessary.
Mix in the corn-infused cream and vanilla. Taste and add additional sugar if you'd like your mixture a bit sweeter. I used the full 7 ounces, but it's your call.
Pour the batter onto your baked crust and smooth the top. Place in a larger pan and then fill the pan about halfway with boiling water.
Bake at 325F until the internal temperature of the cheesecake in the center is 160F-165F.
Turn off the oven and crack the door open. Let the cake cool slowly in the water bath for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and place on a rack. Run a thin spatula around the inside of the pan to release the cake. Allow to cool completely and then chill overnight.
For the Cranberry Blueberry Compote.
Put all the ingredients into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to maintain a high simmer and cook until pretty much all the berries have popped. Taste and adjust as necessary.
Let the compote cool, and then refrigerate it.
To Unmold the Cake and Serve
Run a thin spatula around the outside of your push pan or springform pan. Then place the push pan on a can of nuts or something and press the sides down. Voila! If you used a springform pan, unlatch it and remove the sides. If you baked in a one-piece pan like I did, grab a plate or a cake circle slightly smaller than the diameter of your cake pan. Cover with plastic wrap and spray the wrap with some pan spray. Run a thin spatula around the inside of the pan just to be sure the cake is loose. Unmold the cake by placing the plate/cake circle on the top of the cake, flipping the whole thing over, and giving it a good shake or three. Remove the pan and re-invert the cake onto a serving platter. Pile the compote up to within 1/2" of the sides of the cake, or leave it plain and pass the compote on the side.
Notes
Baking time is approximate. Keep an eye on your cheesecake and take it's temperature in the center to be sure it's done. Nutritionals are calculated for 1/10 of the cheesecake and of the compote.**If you use a one-piece pan, place a parchment round in the bottom of the pan. This will assist you when it's time to unmold the cake. If you bake in a pushpan or a springform pan, parchment isn't strictly necessary, but you can use it if you want.Don't forget to wrap the outside of any two-piece pan in a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil before placing in a water bath.