Orange Cheesecake With Pomegranate Glaze

Photo: Jo Ann

Ingredients

Ingredients for Crust:

2 cups vanilla wafer cookie crumbs (made from about 9 ounces cookie

cup (packed) golden brown sugar

6 tablespoons to 7 unsalted butter, melted

Ingredients for Filling:

1 cup fresh orange juice

1 cup sugar, divided

2 tablespoons finely grated orange peel

4 packages (8 ounce) cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 large eggs, room temperature

Ingredients for Pomegranate Jam:

1 medium Braeburn apple

1 1/2 cups pure unsweetened pomegranate juice

1/4 cup granulated sugar

12 fresh or frozen cranberries

Ingredients for Whipped Cream:

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Preparation

Directions for crust:

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Combine cookie crumbs and brown sugar in medium bowl; add melted butter and stir until crumbs feel moist when pressed together with fingertips. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 & 3/4-inch-high sides. Bake crust until set and edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool crust in pan on rack. Maintain oven temperature.Wrap 4 layers of heavy-duty foil tightly around outside of pan with crust to make pan waterproof.

Directions for filling:

Combine orange juice, 1/4 cup sugar, and orange peel in small saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat. Simmer until mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Chill until cool.Meanwhile, using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in large bowl until smooth. Mix in sour cream, flour, and salt. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in cooled orange juice mixture. Pour filling into crust; place springform pan in large roasting pan. Pour enough

Directions for pomegranate jam:

Grate enough of the apple (including the peel) to yield 3/4 cup. In a medium saucepan, bring the grated apple, pomegranate juice, sugar and cranberries to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer, covered until the apple is softened and the mixture has thickened a little, about 10 minutes. Uncover and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally at first and then constantly toward the end, until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture is reduce to 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes.

With a rubber spatula, press the pulp through a medium-mesh strainer into a bowl until you can't get any more juice out of the pulp. Scrape all the juice clinging to the bottom of the strainer into the bowl and discard the pulp in the strainer. When cool, spread onto cool cheesecake.

Directions for whipped cream:

Pour heavy cream in a large bowl. Whip until soft peaks form. Add confectioners' sugar. Whip until you have stiff peaks. Pipe onto cheesecake.