Arizona Sunset Cheesecake

Total Time: 26 hrs Preparation Time: 24 hrs Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup finely ground pecans
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg, separated
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 can whole berry cranberry sauce or 2 cups cranberry-orange relish
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon, zest of
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 1/2 cups fresh orange juice
• 3 inches orange rind, by 1 inch wide (no part)
• 32 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon grated orange zest
• 2 tablespoons cranberry liqueur (crantasia schnapps or cranberry bog)
• 8 ounces chocolate, melted
• 4 eggs
• 4 cups water
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 seedless oranges, unpeeled,cut into paper-thin slices
• fresh whipped cream

Recipe

• 1 shortbread crust: preheat the oven to 400 degrees f.
• 2 working on a large flat surface, such as a pastry.
• 3 board, place flour, pecans, and sugar in the center of the surface and mix together.
• 4 form a small depression or well in the center of the mound.
• 5 add the egg yolk and the softened butter to the well, then blend these with the dry mixture.
• 6 mix the ingredients thoroughly using your hands-there is no substitute for warm hands.
• 7 shape the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic.
• 8 wrap.
• 9 chill for at least 10 minutes.
• 10 roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4-inch.
• 11 you should have a circle of about 11 inches in diameter.
• 12 for best results, roll out your dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper, then peel away the paper and cut the crust in a 9 inch circle.
• 13 place the circle inside a 9 inch springform pan.
• 14 prick the crust several times with a fork to keep the crust from puffing up during the baking.
• 15 place the springform pan in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until light brown.
• 16 allow to cool.
• 17 using the leftover dough, line the sides of the.
• 18 springform pan.
• 19 press the dough against the sides of the pan, smoothing it so as to have a continuous layer of crust all the way around the sides of the pan.
• 20 make sure that the side crust meets the bottom crust all the way around.
• 21 brush the reserved egg onto the shell, covering the bottom and sides.
• 22 this will seal the dough and keep it from becoming soggy.
• 23 set aside until ready to use.
• 24 cranberry glaze filling: mix the sugar and cornstarch together in a small saucepan.
• 25 stir in the cranberry sauce.
• 26 cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick.
• 27 stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice.
• 28 set aside to cool slightly.
• 29 chocolate filling: reset the oven to 350 degrees f.
• 30 boil the orange juice and piece of orange peel in a heavy medium saucepan until the juice is reduced to 3 tbsp- about 12 minutes.
• 31 remove and discard the strip of orange peel and set aside the reduced orange juice.
• 32 using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, grated orange zest, crantasia, and reduced orange juice until smooth.
• 33 beat in the melted chocolate and then the eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined.
• 34 pour the cranberry glaze filling into the prepared crust, spreading evenly.
• 35 pour the .
• 36 chocolate filling over the cranberry layer and bake about 50 minutes (the top will be dry and the sides puffed slightly- the center will not be set).
• 37 move cheesecake to a wire rack and cool completely to room temperature.
• 38 chill in the refrigerator overnight.
• 39 candied oranges topping: cover a wire rack with waxed paper.
• 40 set aside.
• 41 combine the water and sugar in a heavy shallow wide skillet.
• 42 stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves.
• 43 simmer 5 minutes longer.
• 44 add the orange slices 1 at a time and adjust the heat so that the syrup bubbles only around the edges of the pan.
• 45 cook the oranges for one hour.
• 46 turn over the top layer of oranges and cook.
• 47 until the oranges are translucent and the orange peels tender, about another one hour longer.
• 48 lift and drain each orange slice out of the syrup, and arrange the slices in a single layer on the prepared rack.
• 49 let dry 1 hour.
• 50 boil the orange-sugar syrup until thick, about 6.
• 51 minutes.
• 52 loosen and remove the sides of the springform pan.
• 53 set the cheesecake on a serving dish.
• 54 overlap the candied orange slices around the top of the cheesecake.
• 55 reheat the orange syrup, if necessary, and brush over the orange slices.
• 56 drizzle any remainder over each serving.