Upside-Down Honeyed Cheesecakes

Well I suppose you waited long enough, my wonderful Valentine's dessert was cheesecake (find the dinner here). But not just any cheesecake, the most delicious, petite, adorable cheesecakes, with a lovely caramelized honey topping. These were so delicious, that I ate half of one before dinner, right from the fridge while they were cooling. I meant to just test a bite, to make sure they were worthy, and I looked down and it was half gone! (and no it didn't stop me from having more for dessert). I cannot wait to try this full sized as well, this cheesecake is magical. It's richer and a little less sweet than your average cheesecake, but then it has the honey topping to sweeten it up. They take a little extra effort to bake/assemble because of the upside-downess, but they are totally worth it. The recipe makes 6 but it divides in half easily, if you remember that 3 tsp equals a tbsp and 16 tbsp equals a cup. Enjoy!



Upside-Down Honeyed Cheesecakes:
Crust:
8 graham crackers
2 tbsp of honey
4 tbsp of butter
1/2 tsp of salt

Topping:
4 tbsp of honey
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tbsp of butter
3 tbsp of water

Cheesecake:
12 oz of cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp of brown sugar
1/2 cup of Mascarpone cheese
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs

Pre-heat the oven to 425. Grease 6 ramekins. Make crust: In a food processor or blender, process graham crackers until they are all crumbs and no large pieces remain. Add butter, salt and honey and process until a incorporated. Press 1/6 of the mixture into the bottom of each ramekin. Bake until lightly golden and firm, about 5-7 minutes. Let cool a few minutes, then run a knife around the edge of the crust to loosen. Invert ramekins onto a piece of parchment paper and tap gently to release. Allow crusts to cool on the parchment. Wipe out the ramekins and re-grease. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Make topping: In a small pot over medium heat the topping ingredients; butter, honey, sugar, and water until melted and smooth. Raise heat to high and boil until a candy thermometer reads 300 degrees, be careful not to let it burn. Pour the topping into the ramekins, dividing evenly. Allow to cool slightly while you make the cake. Make cheesecake: In the food processor, or in a bowl using a mixer, blend together the cream cheese and brown sugar until smooth. Add in Mascarpone, lemon juice and vanilla and blend until smooth. Add eggs one at a time and blend until just incorporated. Divide mixture evenly amongst the ramekins. Put ramekins in a roasting pan and fill with hot water, enough to come half way up the ramekins. Bake until just before the cheesecakes are set, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and gently press a crust on top of each cheesecake and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Let cool on the counter until you can touch the ramekins with your bare hands then transfer to the fridge. Chill for at least an hour, up to 2 days (I chilled mine overnight). To serve: Run a knife around the edge of the cheesecakes and invert onto a plate, tap gently until you feel the cheesecake drop. Serve with fresh fruit. Some of the topping will be stuck to the top. You can microwave the ramekins to loosen it and drizzle it over the fruit, if you want. (adapted from epicurious)



Happy Eating.