2 cups crushed shortbread cookies (about 28 cookies)
3 tablespoons butter, melted
4 pralines, coarsely crumbled
5 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 ¾ cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
2 8-ounce containers sour cream
1/3 cup sugar
Garnish: crumbled pralines
Combine cookie crumbs and butter. Press into bottom and up sides of a greased 10-inch springform pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Sprinkle coarsely crumbled pralines over crust. Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add 1 ¾ cups sugar, flour, and vanilla; beating until smooth. Add eggs and egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears. Stir in whipping cream and lemon rind. Pour in crust. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees on lower oven rack 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake 1 hour and 20 minutes or until almost set. Cool on wire rack 1 hour. Stir together sour cream and 1/3 cup sugar; spread over cheesecake. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill 8 hours. Remove sides of pan. Garnish with pralines, if desired.
Pralines:
¾ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup half-and –half
3 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cup coarsely chopped pecans
½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Butter bottom of a heavy 3-quart saucepan. Cook brown sugar and next 3 ingredients in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugars dissolve; stir in pecans. Bring to a boil over medium heat, cook, stirring occasionally, 6-8 minutes or until a candy thermometer registers 238 degrees (soft ball stage). Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla; let stand 3 minutes. Beat with a wooden spoon 3 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. Working rapidly, drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper. Let stand until form.
Gina Tiedemann
