Brûléed Cheesecake

Ingredients

For the crust:

• 1 & 3/4 cups gingersnaps (about 35 cookies)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 tablespoons butter (melted)

For the cheesecake:

• 3 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 & 1/3 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste (or 1 vanilla bean)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 & 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 10 large egg yolks
• 2-3 tablespoons superfine sugar (for torching)
• Fresh raspberries (for garnish)

Instructions

For the crust:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and prepare a 9-inch springform pan by wrapping it in 3 layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil to prevent leaks.
2. Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse gingersnaps into fine crumbs. Add sugar, salt, and melted butter, then mix. Press the crumbs evenly into the bottom of the pan, using a glass to press them down.
3. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, then let cool while preparing the cheesecake filling.

For the cheesecake:

1. Lower the oven temperature to 325°F.
2. Beat the cream cheese in a mixer for 4 minutes, scraping down the sides. Add sugar, vanilla bean paste (or scraped vanilla bean), and salt, and beat for another 4 minutes.
3. Heat the cream: Warm the cream in a pot over medium-low heat (do not boil).
4. Prepare the egg yolks: Beat the egg yolks until pale, about 2 minutes.
5. Combine egg yolks and cream: Slowly add the warm cream to the egg yolks while beating to prevent curdling. Then, slowly pour this mixture into the cream cheese batter and beat until smooth.
6. Assemble: Pour the batter into the cooled gingersnap crust. Place the pan into a large skillet or roasting pan, and fill the pan with hot water until it reaches halfway up the cheesecake pan.
7. Bake at 325°F for about 1 hour and 35 minutes, or until mostly set in the center (a little movement is fine). If the top starts to brown, turn off the oven.
8. Cool: Let the cheesecake cool in the oven with the door cracked open, then remove it from the water bath. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.

For serving:

1. Prepare the caramelized topping: Sprinkle superfine sugar on top of the cheesecake. Use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar, keeping the flame moving until the sugar bubbles and smokes.
2. Garnish: Let the sugar harden for a minute before garnishing with fresh raspberries.

Notes:

• You can substitute gingersnaps with graham cracker crumbs or Nilla wafers.
• Vanilla bean paste can be swapped for a scraped vanilla bean pod.
• To make superfine sugar, blend regular sugar for a few seconds to create finer crystals.

This cheesecake offers a perfect combination of a spiced gingersnap crust, creamy filling, and a crispy caramelized sugar topping!