Cheesecake with pecans and caramel and Moscatel de Setúbal

A few weeks ago, I hosted a wine tasting in Portugal – naturally, with Portuguese wines taking center stage. I had a Moscatel de Setúbal 10 anos in mind for the final wine, to highlight Portugal's other fortified wine. Oxidative aging gives the wine intense aromas of caramel and nuts. It's not rocket science to imagine that this would also be delicious in/with dessert, right?

I came across this recipe from Rutger Bakt, but we forgot to buy small cake cups, so I made one large cake in a rectangular cake tin.

What do you need?

Soil

• 150 g digestives
  
• 50 g butter, melted
  

Cheesecake mix

• 375 g natural cream cheese, e.g. Philadelphia
• 100 g white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 100 g sour cream
• 25 g cornstarch
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
  

Topping

• 35 ml water
• 125 g sugar
  
• 100 ml whipped cream
  
• 40 g butter
• 125 g roasted pecan nuts
  

How do you make it?

Before you start, preheat the oven to 150°C.

Melt the butter for the crust in a saucepan over the stove or in the microwave. Crush the biscuits finely in a food processor or by hand in a bowl. Mix the butter into the crumbs and line the bottom of the cake tin with it. Press firmly into the pan.

Combine the Philadelphia Plain with the caster sugar. Then add the eggs, sour cream, cornstarch, and vanilla extract and mix until smooth. Spread the cheesecake mixture evenly in the prepared cake tin.

Bake the cheesecake for 40 minutes. The top may wobble slightly when it comes out of the oven. Let it cool at room temperature first, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Make the caramel topping just before serving the cheesecake. Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan. Wait until golden brown, then add the cream. Stir well.

Great tip from Rutger, because I was already panicking:

Be careful, this will splatter! The caramel may clump. Don't worry, just keep stirring gently until the sauce is smooth.

Remove the sauce from the heat, add the butter, and stir well. Let the caramel cool until lukewarm.

Remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator and cover the top with pecans. Pour the caramel sauce over it and ENJOY.

Wine and food

I served this delicious cheesecake with caramel sauce with a Moscatel de Setúbal 10-year-old (Antonio Saramago). The wine has aromas of raisins, dates, dried apricots, caramel, and nuts, and it tastes AMAZING with the cheesecake.

The cheesecake is quite a winner with various dessert wines. I can imagine it would also pair very well with Ximenez-Spinola Exceptional Harvest .