Caramel Apple Cheesecake

November, 1995. It was my BF's birthday (he was not the BF at that time), and I remember making this first-ever attempt at baking a cheesecake. [Ed. note: To quote Private Hudson from Aliens, "Game over, man. Game over."]

Yes. This is the one. Try not to stick your fork through the screen–I dare you.

This delicious caramel bomb made repeat appearances that Thanksgiving, Chanukah and Christmas, and at different times every year after that. My mamala begged me to make it every year for the holidays, and this year I'm making it for a client's Halloween party.

The body of the cheesecake is incredibly creamy (not dense), with a touch of orange juice and a good amount of sour cream. There is a perfect crust-to-filling ratio, and the caramel apple topping is to die for (the caramel stays soft and does not stick to your teeth and harden).

Keep in mind, this makes a large cheesecake (10 inches diameter). Perfect for any get together, my favorite is to offer this at Thanksgiving.

Funny story/cautionary tale: two years ago I made this for my BF again and cut the ingredients in half to make an smaller 8-inch cake (was also going to give half to a neighbor). Just as I was presenting the entire cake to him on a platter, I dropped it. The platter broke, little shards of glass flaked all over and into the cheesecake–unsalvageable.

We stared at the floor for the longest time. Curse words seethed through clenched teeth. Tears were shed. I will not lie, this is not a 30-minute dessert. There is  preparation and time involved. (Really, you have to start making this the day before you plan on serving it.) However, the process is very straightforward and the end result is so worth the effort.

Just be careful with those glass platters!

Adapted from: Bon Appetit (September 1995)
Number of servings: 16
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Ingredients
Crust

• 3 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 18 whole graham crackers)
• ¼ cup sugar
• 10 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling

• 2 pounds cream cheese at room temperature
• 1 ½ cups sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 16-ounce container sour cream
• ½ cup orange or tangerine juice
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs

Topping

• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
• 1 ½ pounds Fuji apples (about 4 medium), peeled, cored, cut into ¼-inch-thick wedges
• 1 cup sugar
• ⅓ cup whipping cream

Directions
Crust

1. Preheat oven to 350 °F. Wrap outside of 10-inch diameter spring-form pan with 2 ¾-inch high sides with foil. Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar in medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir to blend. Press mixture onto bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Bake crust 10 minutes. Transfer pan to rack and cool completely. Maintain oven temperature.

Filling

1. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar and cornstarch in large bowl until smooth. Add sour cream, orange/tangerine juice and vanilla and beat until blended. Add eggs one at a time, beating just until blended after each.
2. Pour filling into crust. Bake cheesecake until center moves only slightly when pan is shaken, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool. Cover and refrigerate overnight. NOTE: do not overbake or bake at too high heat. If your oven runs hot and you don't adjust for that the cheesecake will not be as creamy, and it might crack. 

Topping

1. Melt butter in large skillet over high heat. Add apples, stir until apples are coated with butter, about 2 minutes. Add sugar, stir until sugar dissolves and liquid comes to boil, about 3 minutes. Strain apples, reserving liquid. Return reserved liquid to same skillet. Boil until liquid turns deep amber, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Carefully add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously); whisk to blend. Return to heat and bring to boil, whisking constantly. Remove from heat. Cool until caramel sauce is lukewarm but can still be poured.
2. Arrange apple wedges in overlapping concentric circles atop cheesecake. Pour caramel sauce over apples, covering top of cheesecake completely. (Can be prepared one day ahead. Cover loosely with foil and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature 45 minutes before serving.)
3. Remove foil from pan. Remove pan sides. Cut cheesecake into wedges.