Pear Cheesecake
Serves 12
30 mins prep
70 mins cook
600 mins Resting Time
700 mins total
Poached pear, maple and cinnamon swirl together in this creamy cheesecake with a salty sweet gingersnap crust topped with salted caramel.
Poached pears
Gingersnap crust
Pear cinnamon cheesecake
Garnish
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Make the poached pears
In a large pot combine the pears, maple syrup, cinnamon sticks, star anise, water and apple cider vinegar (or apple cider, if using). If the water is not covering the pears, add more until they are covered.
Bring the mixture to a simmer on the stove. Place a circle of parchment or wax paper on top to keep the pears submerged. Cook 20-25 minutes or until the pears are easily pierced with a paring knife.
Remove pears and set aside to cool. Discard the cooking liquid and spices.
Make the gingersnap crust
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar and salt. Add the gingersnap crumbs and stir until thoroughly combined.
Firmly pat the mixture into a 9-inch springform pan and up the sides. I like to use a wood tamper or greased hands.
Bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove from the oven and carefully pat back into shape while it is still warm if it loses any shape during baking. Let cool completely while you make the filling.
Make the cheesecake
Whip the cream cheese in a medium bowl with beaters or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for 1-2 minutes, just until smooth and no lumps remain.
Add the eggs one at a time, mixing in between each. Add the sour cream and mix until incorporated.
Add the sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, salt and cinnamon. Beat just until fully incorporated. Remove the stem from one of the poached pears and puree it with an immersion blender or food processor. Add the pear puree to the cheesecake batter and mix just until incorporated.
Fill and bake
Lower the oven temperature to 325°F.
Add the cheesecake batter to the cooled gingersnap crust. Press the remaining five poached pears bottom (heavier) side first into the batter with the tops sticking up, evenly spaced.
Create a bain-marie, or water bath, to prevent cracks in the cheesecake. There are two ways to do this. The easiest is by placing the cheesecake inside of a larger pan and placing that into an even larger pan. Fill the largest pan with boiling water at least half way up, but not so much that you risk water getting into the springform pan. I placed my cheesecake into a 10-inch round cake pan and placed that into a 12-inch round cake pan and then filled the 12-inch pan with boiling water.
If you do not have pans that will work for this you can simply cut large pieces of foil to cover the bottom of the springform pan to ensure no water will get inside of the springform pan when placed into a larger dish filled with boiling water.
Bake for 55 minutes to 1 hour**. The cheesecake is ready when it barely jiggles when gently shaken.
Cool gradually
To further prevent cracks, let the cheesecake gradually cool. Leave the cheesecake in the oven and turn the oven off. I like to leave it there for about 30 minutes. Then, crack the oven door and let it sit for another 30-45 minutes.
Then remove the cheesecake and let cool on the counter until almost completely cool. Finally, transfer to the refrigerator to let cool completely for at least 8 hours or overnight. Garnish with salted caramel before serving, if desired.
