Oven Roasted Banana Rum Cheesecake with Spiced Pecan Crust and Maple Rum Sauce

(from zuzu’s recipe box)

Source: http://www.gardein.com/thanksgiving.php#r1

Prep time: 110 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Serves 8 people

Categories: Desserts

Ingredients

  • for oven-roasted bananas
  • large, very ripe bananas 4
  • -----
  • for sauce
  • 1 cup grade b organic maple syrup
  • 4 T earth balance
  • sea salt
  • 1 T dark rum
  • -----
  • for crust
  • 1 cup pecan nut flour
  • 1/2 cup spelt flour (white or whole)
  • 1 T firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 4 T earth balance, partially melted
  • 1/8 tsp ground cardamom
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • pinch of sea salt
  • ---------
  • for filling
  • 16 oz non-dairy cream cheese
  • 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup dark rum
  • 2 T cornstarch
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • -------

Directions

  1. to serve

  2. toasted pecan halves

  4. make the oven-roasted bananas

  5. preheat the oven to 325°f.

  6. place the unpeeled bananas on a roasting pan and roast in the center of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until the bananas are soft, the skins are dark brown, and some juice is seeping out.

  7. let the bananas cool to room temperature in the pan in their skins. set aside.

  8. increase the oven temperature to 400°f.

  10. make the maple rum sauce.

  11. in a small saucepan, combine the maple syrup, earth balance, and salt to taste and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 10 minutes.

  12. remove from the heat and add the rum, stirring well; be careful, as the sauce will bubble up a bit. let cool for a few minutes, then taste and add more salt if necessary.

  13. cool to room temperature, then transfer to a squeeze bottle.

  14. the sauce can be rewarmed by putting the bottle in a pan of hot water off the heat.

  16. make the spiced pecan crust

  17. combine all the crust ingredients in a bowl and stir until well incorporated. press the crust into a 9-inch springform pan and put in the freezer for 5 minutes.

  18. bake in the center of the oven for 8 to 10 minutes, until the crust looks a little dry and the edges are light golden. remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

  20. make the filling

  21. peel the roasted bananas and remove any obvious strings. in a food processor, puree the bananas until very smooth. add the remaining ingredients and pulse until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl periodically; do not overprocess, or the cream cheese w

  22. pour the filling into the crust and bake on the center rack of the oven for 10 minutes. reduce the oven temperature to 350°f and bake for another 35 to 45 minutes, until the top is the color of light brown sugar and the center of the cheesecake is set but

  23. et the cheesecake cool to room temperature on a rack for at least 1 hour, then cover with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.

  25. to serve

  26. rewarm the sauce in a pan of hot water. use an offset spatula or a thin knife to loosen the edges of the cheesecake, remove the sides of the pan, and cut the cake into slices. serve with the warm sauce and toasted pecans.

  28. Notes:

  29. *making nut flour

  30. to make your own nut flour, first freeze raw nuts overnight. place about 1 cup of the frozen nuts in a food processor at a time and pulse until finely ground. freezing the nuts prevents them from turning to nut butter in the food processor as the blade heats

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