DULCE DE LECHE CARAMEL CHEESECAKE - Cheesecake Factory menu description
Caramel Cheesecake Topped with Caramel Mousse on a Vanilla Crust
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CHEESECAKE
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature 3 large eggs cup heavy cream 1 cup dulce de leche.
Preheat oven to 325 deg. Place cream cheese in food processor and process until soft. With machine running, drop in eggs through feed tube, followed by heavy cream, then dulce de leche. Place mixture in a 9-inch pie dish. Put dish in a large pan and add hot water until it comes halfway up the side of pie dish. Place in oven and bake about an hour or a little longer, until a cake tester comes out clean and top is fairly firm. Let cake rest one hour, then serve at once. Or refrigerate, then remove from refrigerator about one-half hour before serving.
DULCE DE LECHE
1 quart whole milk 2 cups sugar teaspoon baking soda Pinch cinnamon.
Combine ingredients in a large heavy saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook without stirring until mixture boils, 15 to 20 minutes. Briefly remove from heat. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, 45 minutes to one hour. When mixture becomes a caramel color and is thick enough that you can see the bottom of the pan as you stir, remove it from heat. Use at room temperature or cover and refrigerate.
CARAMEL MOUSSE
1 cup heavy whipping cream, divided 1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar 1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) firmly packed light brown sugar 2 tablespoons water 1 teaspoon honey 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla paste 1 ounce (2 tablespoons, 1/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
Bring 1/3 cup of cream to a boil in a 1/2-quart saucepan over medium heat. Cook the granulated sugar, brown sugar, water, honey, and vanilla paste in a 2-quart heavy-duty saucepan over high heat, without stirring, until the mixture comes to a boil. Brush around the inside of the pan with a damp pastry brush at the point where the sugar syrup meets the sides of the pan to prevent the sugars from crystallizing. Do this two times. Cook the mixture over high heat, without stirring, until it turns amber colored, 6 to 8 minutes.
Lower the heat to medium and slowly add the hot cream while stirring constantly with a long-handled heat-resistant spatula. The cream will bubble and foam. Continue to stir to make sure there are no lumps. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the butter until it is completely melted.
Transfer the caramel sauce to a 2-quart mixing bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, cool to room temperature, then chill until thick, about 2 hours. Whip the remaining 3/4 cup of cream in the bowl of an electric stand mixer with the wire whip attachment or in a large mixing bowl using a hand-held mixer on medium speed until it holds soft peaks. Set aside 1/3 cup of the whipped cream and fold the remaining whipped cream into the chilled caramel sauce in 3 stages.
