Make Ahead
Pistachio–Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
Prep Time: 25 Minutes Start to Finish: 8 Hours 30 Minutes 16 servings
- Sugar Cone Crust
- 9 sugar-style ice cream cones with pointed ends, crushed (1 cup)
- 1 cup pistachio nuts, finely chopped
- ¼ cup butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- Cheesecake
- 4 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, cut into cubes and softened
- ⅔ cup sugar
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- Seeds of 2 vanilla beans
- 4 eggs
- ⅓ cup pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
1 Heat oven to 325°F. In medium bowl, mix crust ingredients. Press in bottom and slightly up side of ungreased 9-inch springform pan.
2 In food processor, place cream cheese, ⅔ cup sugar, the sour cream, vanilla and vanilla bean seeds. Cover; process until smooth. Add eggs. Cover; process until well blended, scraping bowl occasionally. Spread over crust.
3 Bake 1 hour 20 minutes or until center is set. Cool on cooling rack 15 minutes. Carefully run small metal spatula or knife around side of pan to loosen cheesecake. Remove side of pan; cool 30 minutes.
4 Refrigerate uncovered at least 6 hours or until chilled. Store covered in refrigerator 3 to 5 days. Before serving, sprinkle ⅓ cup pistachios around top edge of cheesecake.
1 Serving: Calories 390; Total Fat 30g (Saturated Fat 15g, Trans Fat 1g); Cholesterol 120mg; Sodium 270mg; Total Carbohydrate 21g (Dietary Fiber 1g); Protein 7g Exchanges: 1½ Other Carbohydrate, 1 High-Fat Meat, 4½ Fat Carbohydrate Choices: 1½
Festive Touch During the holiday season, red-colored pistachios are sometimes available. If you like, try using both red and green pistachios in this cheesecake.
Kitchen Secrets You can crush the sugar cones by placing them in a resealable food-storage plastic bag and crushing them with a rolling pin.
Kitchen Secrets To remove seeds from a vanilla bean, cut the bean in half lengthwise. Run the blade of a knife across the inside of the bean, gathering seeds on the edge of the knife.
