marzipan cheesecake Gourmet

By cuznvin

Ingredients

• For crust
• 1/2 cup whole blanched almonds
• eight 5- by 2 1/2-inch graham crackers
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/3 cup (5 1/3 tablespoons) unsalted butter
• For filling
• 1/3 cup packed pure almond paste
• 3/4 cup sugar
• three 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 5 large eggs
• For topping
• 5 ounces semisweet chocolate
• 1/2 cup heavy cream

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350°F. and butter a 9 1/2-inch springform pan.
Make crust:
In a shallow baking pan toast almonds in middle of oven until golden, about 10 minutes.
Remove almonds from oven but leave oven on. Cool almonds completely. In a food processor pulse nuts until finely chopped and transfer to a bowl. Break graham crackers into food processor and finely grind. Stir 1 cup cracker crumbs and sugar into almonds. Melt butter and add to crumb mixture, stirring with a fork until combined well. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and 1 inch up side of springform pan.
Make filling:
In a food processor grind together almond paste and sugar until combined well.
Add cream cheese and vanilla and blend well. Add eggs 1 at a time, pulsing until just combined after each addition.
Pour filling into crust and bake in middle of oven 50 minutes.