Zees Wine Bar & Grill’s Orange Cranberry Cheesecake

Ingredients for Crust:

Serves 10 people

2 cup Gingersnap cookies

½ cup Brown sugar

3 tbsp Flour

¼ cup Butter, melted

1 Egg yolk

Ingredients for Filling:

4 8 oz Package cream cheese

1 cup Packed brown sugar

½ cup White sugar

½ cup Orange juice

1 cup Fresh cranberries (or frozen, defrosted)

1 tsp Ground cinnamon

½ tsp Ground ginger

¼ tsp Ground nutmeg

¼ tsp Salt

1 tbsp Vanilla

1 tbsp Bourbon (if desired)

¼ cup Flour

4 large Eggs

2 Egg yolks

Method

1. Stir gingersnap crumbs, half cup brown sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, and melted butter together in a bowl until mixture resembles sand.
2. Stir one egg yolk into crumbs until thoroughly combined and crust mixture holds its shape when pressed.
3. Move a rack to the center position in the oven. Pre-heat the oven to 325°F (165°C).
4. Spray a 10-inch springform pan with cooking spray, spread crumbs into pan, and press crumbs into a firm crust going about one inch up the side of the pan.
5. Place the pan on a heavy sheet of aluminum foil and bring the foil up the sides of the pan to the rim, crumpling it close to the pan and making a barrier to prevent water from leaking into the cheesecake.
6. Place the foil and springform pan into a large roasting pan.
7. Place cream cheese, one cup brown sugar, and white sugar into the work bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment; mix on low speed until smooth, about one minute. Raise speed to high and mix until light and fluffy, about 3 more minutes.
8. Add orange juice in a separate large mixing bowl; stir in cranberries, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, salt, vanilla extract, and bourbon whiskey until combined.
9. Whisk 1/4 cup flour into the orange juice mixture, followed by eggs and yolks.
10. Whisk cream cheese mixture into orange juice mixture until filling is completely smooth and free of lumps.
11. Pour filling into crust; use a spatula to lightly and rapidly jiggle the filling in the center of the cheesecake to help shake out any bubbles.
12. Carefully place cheesecake in roasting pan onto center rack of oven and fill roasting pan with enough very hot (almost boiling) water to reach halfway up the side of springform pan.
13. Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the filling reads 155 to 160°F (70°C), about one hour and 45 minutes. Check temperature after one and a half hours. Filling will still be slightly jiggly in the center.
14. Turn off oven heat and open oven door for a few seconds to let out most of the hot air.
15. Use a thin knife to separate cheesecake edge from inside of pan to help prevent cracking.
16. Close oven door almost all the way, leaving a small opening (about one inch) to release additional heat.
17. Let cheesecake cool in warm oven for one hour to finish setting.
18. Remove cheesecake from water bath and let cool to room temperature on a counter, 2 to 3 more hours.
19. Cover cheesecake with aluminum foil and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 3 hours but preferably overnight.