Orange Cheesecake With Candied Kumquats

Photo: Jo Ann

Ingredients

Ingredients for Candied Kumquats:

2 cups water

2 cups sugar

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

9 ounces kumquats (about 25 medium), thinly sliced crosswise, seeds removed

Ingredients for Crust:

2 cups vanilla wafer cookie crumbs (made from about 9 ounces cookie

cup (packed) golden brown sugar

6 tablespoons to 7 unsalted butter, melted

Ingredients for Filling:

1 cup fresh orange juice

1 cup sugar, divided

2 tablespoons finely grated orange peel

4 packages (8 ounce) cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup sour cream

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 large eggs, room temperature

Preparation

Combine water and sugar in medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add kumquats; reduce heat. Simmer until kumquat slices are translucent, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat; cool kumquats in syrup. Strain kumquats, reserving syrup. Combine kumquats and 1/4 cup syrup in small bowl. Return remaining syrup to same saucepan; boil until reduced to 1 & 1/4 cups, about 8 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Combine cookie crumbs and brown sugar in medium bowl; add melted butter and stir until crumbs feel moist when pressed together with fingertips. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 & 3/4-inch-high sides. Bake crust until set and edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool crust in pan on rack. Maintain oven temperature.

Wrap 4 layers of heavy-duty foil tightly around outside of pan with crust to make pan waterproof.

Combine orange juice, 1/4 cup sugar, and orange peel in small saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat. Simmer until mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Chill until cool.

Meanwhile, using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in large bowl until smooth. Mix in sour cream, flour, and salt. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in cooled orange juice mixture. Pour filling into crust; place springform pan in large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of springform pan.

Bake cake until just set in center, about 1 hour and 35 minutes. Remove cake from roasting pan; remove foil. Place cake directly in refrigerator and chill overnight. Arrange kumquat slices atop cake, covering completely. Remove pan sides; place cake on platter. Cut cake into wedges; drizzle with some kumquat syrup over and serve. The kumquat syrup is perfect with the cake. But don't stop there. It's also yummy drizzled over vanilla ice cream or in a cup of tea, a glass of club soda, or even a vodka Martini.