Pear and Honey Cheesecake

Smooth, fresh, and nutty. 

Makes: 1 Cheesecake

Takes About:  7 1/2 hours (1/2 hours mixing, 1 hour baking, 6 hours cooling)

Difficulty: 2 out of 5

Prep:

Place a piece of parchment paper in the bottom of an 9 inch round spring-form pan and butter the pan.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Ingredients: 

- Crust

1/2 cup walnuts - finely ground

3/4 cup graham crackers - finely ground

1 tablespoon unsalted butter - melted

- Filling

24 ounces cream cheese - room temperature 

3/4 cup honey

3 eggs

1 tablespoons unsalted butter - melted, not hot

3 tablespoons milk - room temperature 

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

- Topping

2 pears - cut in halt and decored

2 tablespoons honey

1/4 cup walnuts - broken into small pieces 

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions: 

- Step 1 - Grind the Crust

In a food processor, grind the 1/2 cup of walnuts and 2/3 cup of graham crackers until finally ground. 

Add the 1 tablespoon of melted butter to the crumble and mix well.

- Step 2 - Press the Crust

Press the crumble into the bottom of the spring-form pan firmly. 

Bake the crumble for 5 minutes and then set aside.  

Keep the oven on. 

- Step 3 - Start the Cheesecake

In a large bowl, mix the 24 ounces of cream cheese until smooth and fluffy - about 3 minutes. 

- Step 4 - Add the Honey

Add the 3/4 cup of honey into the cream cheese and mix until smooth - about another 3 minutes. 

Scrape the sides of the bowl and the bottom of the bowl with a spatula and mix again for a few moments. 

- Step 5 - Start Adding the Eggs

Add each egg, one at a time, and mix well after each egg. 

After each egg is added, scrape the sides down to insure the ingredients are mixed well.

Egg 1:

Egg 2: 

Egg 3: 

- Step 6 - Mix Milk and Butter

In a small bowl, mix together the 3 tablespoons of milk and 1 tablespoon of melted butter. 

Butter should not be hot.

- Step 7 - Add Remaining Ingredients

Add the milk and melted butter mixture, 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the cream cheese mixture and mix very well.

- Step 8 - Pour Mixture Into Pan

Dump the cream cheese mixture into the spring-form pan and place in the preheated oven on the rack 1 below the middle.

Bake the cheesecake for 1 hour until the middle giggles slightly. 

If you don't want the top browned so much, place a piece of tinfoil over top the cheesecake once it starts to get color, but make sure the tinfoil does not touch the cheesecake. 

- Step 9 - Let the Cake Cool

Turn off the oven and open the oven door slightly  to let the cake cool for two hours. 

Once the cake has cooled, place it in the frige for another 4 hours until cold.  

- Step 10 - Prep the Pears

As the cake cools, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the pears in half and cut the backs of them off so they lay flat. 

- Step  11 - Add Toppings

Sprinkle the cinnamon over the top of the four pear halves. 

Drizzle the honey over the tops of the pears.

Add the walnuts to the the top.

Bake for 30 minutes. 

Once the pears have baked, pull them out of the oven to cool completely. 

- Step 12 - Finishing Touches

Slide a knife between the cheesecake and spring-form pan and open the pan slowly.

Add the pears to the top of the cheesecake (if all the halves don't fit, these pears are great to eat on their own with a large scoop of vanilla ice cream).

- Step 13 - Enjoy

Once the cheesecake is complete, serve or place in the fridge and enjoy at your own time!

Adapted from Relish's "Honey Cheesecake" and Skinny Taste's "Bakes Pears with Walnuts and Honey."