Maple Cheesecake with Roasted Pears

This no-bake maple cheesecake with roasted pears is one of my favorite cheesecakes! It is so easy to make but feels super chic. It's the perfect fall dessert for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year's Eve! The maple and pear flavors were made for each other.

Ingredients

For the dough

• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons of sugar
• 5 tablespoons of melted butter
• 46 vanilla wafers, about 6 ounces

For the cheesecake

• 3/4 cup pure maple syrup, divided
• 2 bars (8 ounces each) of cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 teaspoon maple extract, or up to 1 teaspoon
• Non-stick cooking spray
• 2 tablespoons caster sugar
• 1 cup cold heavy cream
• 2 medium pears, such as Bosc or Bartlett, sliced ​​1/8 inch thick

Instructions

1. First, make the crust. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, pulse cookies until they are finely ground (you should have about 1 1/2 cups). Add the sugar, salt, and butter and mix until everything is homogeneous.
2. Press the crumb mixture firmly into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9 1/2 inch springform pan. My new favorite thing is to use a measuring cup to press it in the corners, it works very well. Bake in the oven until the crust is dry and take about 10-12 minutes. Let cool completely. Stick it in the freezer or refrigerator.
3. In a large bowl or stand mixer, beat the cream cheese on high power until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon maple extract; beat until smooth.
4. In a medium bowl, beat the cream and powdered sugar on high power until soft peaks form, about 3 minutes. Using a rubber spatula, stir in about a third of the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture, then stir in the rest. Transfer to crust and refrigerate until firm, 3 hours (or up to 1 day).
5. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Coat a baking sheet lined with parchment paper with cooking spray or use a Silpat. Place the pear slices in a single layer on a sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup. Roast until pears are tender, about 20 minutes.
6. Remove from the oven and light the grill. Brush the pears with 2 tablespoons of maple syrup and grill until golden in places, about 4 minutes, turning the leaf frequently. Keep an eye on it! Never stray from your broiler! Let cool. To serve, arrange the slightly overlapping pear slices on the cheesecake.

Recipe notes

I added 1/2 teaspoon of maple extract, and I might even add more next time (I wouldn't be much more than a teaspoon). I was going for a stronger maple flavor, and even with the added extract, it was not at all overkill.

Source: thefoodcharlatan.com