Crème Brûlée Cheesecake
In a world full of cheesecakes packed with store-bought cookies, candies, and a thousand over-the-top flavors, sometimes you can't help but miss the simple flavor of a classic cheesecake.We made our favorite vanilla bean cheesecake and decided to add one additional element to elevate the overall tangy-sweet experience—we brûléed the top of the cheesecake to create a glassy layer of caramelized sugar, just like a creme brûlée. The thin layer of hard sugar cuts beautifully under the pressure of a knife, so each slice maintains a crunchy layer of sugar on top of the cake itself. Our cheesecake recipe calls for sour cream to add lightness to the filling and to add a little more tang, thus preventing the cheesecake from tasting too sweet. This unconventional cheesecake is a blend of two classics that are beloved for their simplicity and decadence, and we think the marriage of the two makes for something really special.
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Ingredients
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Chef's Notes
If you can't find vanilla bean paste, simply use the seeds of 1 vanilla bean. You can use 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract if you don't have access to vanilla beans, but the seeds from the beans are preferable in this dessert.