Amaretto Hazelnut Macaroon Cheesecake

Keys : Alcoholic Nuts Pie Italian Italy European Mediterranean
Ingredients :
HAZELNUT CRUST
1 cup hazelnuts, roast 10 min at 350
3 x egg whites
2 tsp vanilla
2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
FILLING
1/2 cup amaretto
3 tsp gelatin, unflavored
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 lb cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
2 tbl lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
2 cup cream
Method :
• Hazelnut macaroon: heat oven to 350. grease 10 inch spring form pan. line with parchment (DO NOT USE WAX PAPER AS IT STICKS HORRIBLY !). grease parchment.
• line a cookie sheet with greased parchment
• whisk together eggs and vanilla. remove as much skin from the hazelnuts as is convenient. chop the nuts in a food processor with one cup of the powdered sugar for 30 sec. add both powdered and regular sugar. pulse a few times to combine. with processor running, pour in egg mixture. process
for 15 sec until smooth
• reserve 1/2 - 1/3 cup batter. pour remaining into spring form, smooth with spatula. pour reserved batter onto cookie sheet, spread in a 7-8 inch disk
• bake crust 25-30 minutes, disk 20-25 minutes cool on wire rack
• chop op the disk into 1/8 inch pieces and soak in 1/4 amaretto (DO NOT SOAK FOR MORE THAN 15 MIN OR THEY GET SOGGY !)
• carefully remove crust (VERY CAREFULLY). replace bottom of spring form with foil wrapped cardboard circle.
replace crust
• amaretto cheesecake filling: sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cp amaretto, let stand 5 minutes heat in sauce pan with hot (not boiling) water stirring for 4 minutes. leave in hot water to stay warm
• beat cream cheese in mixer for 1 minutes add lemon juice and zest, mix. beat cream to soft peaks. fold 1/3 cream into cream cheese. fold in remaining whipped cream. fold in soaked macaroon disk bits
• scrape into prepared pan, cover with plastic wrap.
refrigerate at least 3 hrs.
• (preferably overnight)