Vanilla Bean White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

Here is the recipe for the Vanilla Bean White Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake. I made this along with the shrimp scampi that I posted a few days ago.  It was absolutely delicious! I had many requests for the cheesecake. I promise you it won't dissapoint.  

CRUST:
1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg yolk, beaten
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Crush the graham crackers. I placed mine in a blender on a low speed.

  

Mix in the sugar. Add the egg yolk and vanilla, then stir in the melted butter.  

I finally figured out how to focus on something close up like I've seen on other blogs. I know this has nothing to do with the recipe, but I'm just so danged proud of myself.  ;)



Line a springform pan with non-stick foil. Press graham crackers into the pan.

Bake at 375º for 8 minutes or until edges are slightly brown. Remove and let cool. (Since I used the mini cheese cake pans, I checked them at about 4 minutes.


CHEESECAKE:
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons corn starch
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
vanilla beans from one pod

Combine cream cheese, sour cream, corn starch and sugar, mix until sugar is dissolved. Add butter, vanilla and beans, blend until smooth. Don’t overmix.

Bake at 350F 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 1 hour.

WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE

1 cup whipping cream

2 Tablespoons powdered sugar

4 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened

4 ounces white chocolate baking squares, melted

In a cold mixing bowl (I used a metal bowl) beat cream until soft peaks form. Gradually add powdered sugar until stiff peaks form.

Put this in a bowl in the fridge. Don’t wash your mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese in it, until fluffy. Add the white chocolate and beat until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream.

VANILLA BEAN WHIPPED CREAM

1 cup whipping cream

1 Tablespoon powdered sugar

Beans from one vanilla pod

In a cold mixing bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Gradually add powdered sugar and then vanilla beans, beating until stiff peaks form.

After the cheesecake has cooled spread the mousse evenly on top. Refrigerate for about an hour then spread the whipped cream on top. Refrigerate several hours before serving.

 Below are just a few notes that I've made about this recipe. Hope this helps!

*Vanilla bean can be very expensive at the local markets. About $14 for 2 pods in my area. I happened upon a site that has a variety of vanilla at a better price. www.beanilla.com. Vanilla paste works well.

*I found the vanilla whipped cream recipe not to be sweet enough for my or my family's taste. I increased the powered sugar to 3-4 tablespoons. Also, I think the next time that I make this cheesecake, I will omit the cream cheese from the white chocolate mousse. It was good with the cream cheese, but I think I may enjoy it a bit more without it.

 *When choosing a pan for making a cheesecake, it is best to use a springform pan or any pan specifically made for cheesecake. Such pans make it easier to "pop" the finished product out for a prettier cake. For this recipe, I used the Norpro small cheesecake pans that I purchased on Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/Norpro-3912-Small-Cheesecake-Pan/dp/B002NV3V6O/ref=cm_cmu_pg__header. Cooking times will vary if you use a smaller pan, so you may want to follow the manufacturers' cooking instructions included with your pan..

*Lastly, I've made a variation of this wonderful cheesecake. I used Ghiradelli's milk chocolate instead of the white chocolate and I added a cup of mini semi-sweet chocolate chips to the cheesecake batter.  It was delicious if I do say so myself...and I do!  ;)

I found this recipe at the following link:

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=229974955312&topic=10277