from chef karen harper, pastry chef for the black rabbit restaurant at mcmenamins edgefield in troutdale, oregon, courtesy of chef harper and mozzarella fresca. the cheesecake must be made a day in advance. (i first saw this recipe in a newspaper, but it's readily found throughout the internet.)
for cheesecake
all refrigerated ingredients should be at room temperature.
for garnish: orange slices marinated
directions
must be done in advance; cover and refrigerate.
preheat the oven to 300of.
beat the mascarpone/cream cheese until creamy. gradually beat in the sugar, salt and grand marnier.
1 at a time add the eggs, scraping the sides of the bowl often.
scrape batter into the crust and smooth the top. bake on a cookie sheet until the center barely jiggles when the pan is tapped, 45 to 55 minutes. let cool in the pan on a rack for 2 hours.
unmold, cover and refrigerate overnight.
10 springform pan
directions
preheat oven to 375of.
in a food processor, blend graham crackers and butter until completely incorporated.
mash the crumb mixture evenly into bottom of a 10' springform pan. bake 10 minutes; cool completely.
directions
can be done in advance, covered and refrigerated.
bring cream just to the boil. remove from heat and stir in chocolate till incorporated.
using a whisk , very gently stir in grand marnier. let ganache cool till is thick enough to spread. if ganache becomes too thick, warm it in a water bath or double boiler.
directions
can be done in advance, covered and refrigerated.
boil orange slices in water for 10 minutes, gently stirring occasionally.
do not do this step till ready to build the dessert.