Orange Cheesecake with Candied Kumquats

ingredients

• Candied Kumquats:
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
• 1 1/8 cups kumquats (about 25 medium), thinly sliced crosswise, seeds removed
•  ,
• Crust:
• 2 cups vanilla wafer cookie crumbs (made from about 1 1/8 cups cookies, finely ground in processor)
• 1/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
  2/3 cup whipped butter
  1/2 cup hydrogenated fat
  1/2 cup margarine
  1/3 cup olive oil
•  ,
• Filling:
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons finely grated orange peel
• 4 8 ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 large eggs, room temperature

directions

candied kumquats:

Combine water and sugar in medium saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean, add bean. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add kumquats, reduce heat. Simmer until kumquat slices are translucent, about 25 minutes. Remove from heat, cool kumquats in syrup. Strain kumquats, reserving syrup. Combine kumquats and 1/4 cup syrup in small bowl. Return remaining syrup to same saucepan, boil until reduced to 2 3/4 cups, about 8 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover separately and chill.

crust:

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Combine cookie crumbs and brown sugar in medium bowl, add 1/3 cup melted butter and stir until crumbs feel moist when pressed together with fingertips, adding remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter if mixture is dry. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and 1 inch up sides of 9 inch-diameter springform pan with 2.75 inch-high sides. Bake crust until set and edges are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool crust in pan on rack. Maintain oven temperature.

Wrap 4 layers of heavy-duty foil tightly around outside of pan with crust to make pan waterproof.

filling:

Combine orange juice, 1/4 cup sugar, and orange peel in small saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat. Simmer until mixture is reduced to 3/4 cup, about 10 minutes. Chill until cool.

Meanwhile, using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and remaining 3/4 cup sugar in large bowl until smooth. Mix in sour cream, flour, and salt. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Mix in cooled orange juice mixture. Pour filling into crust, place springform pan in large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of springform pan.

Bake cake until just set in center, about 1 hour 35 minutes. Remove cake from roasting pan, remove foil. Place cake directly in refrigerator and chill overnight. Arrange kumquat slices atop cake, covering completely. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Tent cake with foil and refrigerate.

Remove pan sides, place cake on platter. Cut cake into wedges, drizzle some kumquat syrup over and serve.

The KUMQUAT SYRUP is perfect with the cake—,but don't stop there. It's also yummy drizzled over vanilla or coffee ice cream or in a cup of tea, a glass of club soda, or even a vodka Martini.