Cheesecake with pears and gingerbread

Votes: 1

How to Make - Pear and Gingerbread Cheesecake

Time: 8 hours 20 minutes
Complexity: easily
Servings: 8

This luxurious cheesecake will be the highlight of your winter holidays. A gingerbread cookie crust holds a thick layer of the most delicate vanilla filling, topped with pears dipped in caramel syrup. The creamy flavor of the cheesecake, combined with the spiciness of the crust and the fruity notes of the topping, is a delight everyone will remember again and again. Please note that the filling is made with American Neufchâtel cream cheese (not to be confused with the French Neufchâtel blue cheese!), which has a lower fat content than Philadelphia cheese.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

Cake

220 g gingerbread cookies (about 30 pcs.)
4 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp. l. brown sugar

Pears

2 tablespoons butter
2 firm Bosc pears, peeled and cut into 1cm thick wedges.
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
3 tablespoons molasses

Filling

2 packages of 220g of American Neufchâtel cream cheese, at room temperature
1 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp. flour
1.5 cups sour cream

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

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Recipes with similar ingredients: shortbread cookies, eggs, sour cream, cream cheese, molasses, pears

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Fill a roasting pan halfway with water and place it on a rack in the lower third of the oven; position the other rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325°F (160°C). Line the outside (bottom and sides) of a 9-inch springform pan with foil.
Cake:

Grind the gingerbread cookies in a food processor until finely ground. Add the melted butter and brown sugar and pulse to combine. Spread the mixture in the bottom of the pan and press it into the bottom and up the sides about an inch (2.5 cm). Set aside.

Prepare the pears:

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the pears, sprinkle with granulated sugar, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pears are soft and lightly browned around the edges, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the molasses and continue cooking until syrupy, about 2 more minutes; set aside.
Prepare the filling:

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar with a mixer on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and flour and beat until smooth, then add the sour cream and beat until fully incorporated, about 1 more minute.
Spread the filling on the prepared crust. Carefully arrange the pear slices on top; set aside the remaining syrup for serving. Place the cheesecake in the oven on the middle rack directly over the double boiler. Bake until lightly browned around the edges but the center still jiggles slightly, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until completely cool, at least 6 hours or overnight. Let the cheesecake sit at room temperature for 20 minutes, then run a thin knife around the edge and remove the ring from the pan. Drizzle with the remaining syrup and serve.