White Chocolate & Sweet Potato Cheesecake

I have got to try this for Thanksgiving (or even before, because I don’t think I can wait two more weeks!). It comes from Pican Restaurant in Oakland, California, and was created by executive chef Dean Dupuis.

I don’t think that I would have ever thought to try white chocolate and sweet potatoes together before, but I’m definitely intrigued now:

White Chocolate & Sweet Potato Cheesecake

Filling
1½ pounds cream cheese
8 ounces granulated sugar
5 eggs
1 cup sweet potato puree (roast potatoes, then peel and pass through food mill)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
8 ounces white chocolate, melted over double boiler
Pinch salt

Crust
1 cup pecan halves or pieces, finely chopped
2 cups vanilla wafers, finely ground
¾ cup melted butter
½ cup sugar
Pinch salt

~ Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Combine all the crust ingredients and press onto bottom and sides of a 10-inch cake pan. The filling should be even throughout and pressed firmly to the pan.

~ For the cake filling, cream the cheese and sugar until smooth and fluffy. Add the potato puree, eggs, salt and vanilla and mix until combined well.

~ Stir in the melted chocolate, then pour into the cake pan, place this in a larger pan and fill the outer pan with enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the cheesecake

~ Bake until the middle is just set, 1-1¼ hours. It will feel slightly soft in the middle, but will finish cooking even once the cake is out of the oven. Let chill overnight before serving.

~ Makes one 10-inch cheesecake.

[image: flickr]