Maple Cheesecake with Roasted Pears Recipe

Name: Maple Cheesecake with Roasted Pears
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 3 h 35 min
Total time: 3 h 50 min
Yield: 8-10 servings
Ingredients: 46 vanilla wafers, about 6 ounces; 3 tablespoons sugar; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 5 tablespoons butter, melted; 2 bars (8 ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature; 3/4 cup pure maple syrup, divided; 1/2 teaspoon maple extract, or up to 1 teaspoon; 1 cup cold heavy cream; 2 tablespoons powdered sugar; Nonstick cooking spray; 2 medium pears, such as Bosc or Bartlett, sliced lengthwise 1/8 inch thick

Ingredients

46 vanilla wafers, about 6 ounces
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons butter, melted
2 bars (8 ounces each) cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup pure maple syrup, divided
1/2 teaspoon maple extract, or up to 1 teaspoon
1 cup cold heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Nonstick cooking spray
2 medium pears, such as Bosc or Bartlett, sliced lengthwise 1/8 inch thick

	PREP TIME 15m	COOK TIME 3h35m	TOTAL TIME 3h50m
YIELD 8-10 servings

Instructions

Make the crust first. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, pulse cookies until finely ground (you should have about 1 1/2 cups). Add sugar, salt, and butter and pulse until combined.
Firmly press crumb mixture into bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9 1/2 inch springform pan. My new favorite trick is to use a measuring cup to press it into the corners, works great. Bake until crust is dry and set, about 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely. Stick it in the freezer or the fridge.
In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat cream cheese on high until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup maple syrup and the 1/2 teaspoon maple extract; beat until smooth.
In a medium bowl, beat cream and powdered sugar on high until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. With a rubber spatula, stir about one-third the whipped cream into cream cheese mixture, then fold in remainder. Transfer to crust and refrigerate until firm, 3 hours (or up to 1 day).
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Coat a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray, or use a silpat. Arrange pear slices in a single layer on sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Roast until pears are soft, about 20 minutes.
Remove from oven and turn on the broiler. Brush pears with 2 tablespoons maple syrup and broil until browned in spots, about 4 minutes, rotating sheet frequently. Keep an eye on it! Never walk away from your broiler! Let cool. To serve, arrange pear slices, overlapping slightly, on cheesecake.