TGI FRIDAY'S VANILLA BEAN CHEESECAKE

 

We had dinner at TGI Friday's and I order the "Choose 3 for $12.99" and for dessert I had ordered the Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake, but they brought this out by mistake and they were busy, so we just decided to go ahead and give it a go, and boy am I a glad that we did!  It was to die for.  

We just got home and I went in search of a copy cat recipe and found the following on Facebook and I plan on trying to make this in the near future.

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=229974955312&topic=10277

Vanilla graham cracker crust, vanilla bean cheesecake, white chocolate mousse, vanilla bean whipped cream.


CRUST:
1 1/2 cups finely crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 egg yolk, beaten
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Crush the graham crackers. Mix in the sugar. Add the egg yolk and vanilla, then stir in the melted butter. Line a springform pan with non-stick foil. Press graham crackers into the pan. Bake at 375º for 8 minutes or until edges are slightly brown. Remove and let cool.

CHEESECAKE:
16 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons corn starch
1 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
vanilla beans from one pod

Combine cream cheese, sour cream, corn starch and sugar, mix until sugar is dissolved. Add butter, vanilla and beans, blend until smooth. Don’t overmix.

Bake at 350F 30 to 35 minutes. Cool 1 hour.

WHITE CHOCOLATE MOUSSE
1 cup whipping cream
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
4 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese, softened
4 ounces white chocolate baking squares, melted

In a cold mixing bowl beat cream until soft peaks form. Gradually add powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Put this in a bowl in the fridge. Don’t wash your mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese in it, until fluffy. Add the white chocolate and beat until smooth. Fold in the whipped cream.

VANILLA BEAN WHIPPED CREAM

1 cup whipping cream
1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
Beans from one vanilla pod

In cold mixing bowl, beat whipping cream until soft peaks form. Gradually add powdered sugar and then vanilla beans, beating until stiff peaks form.

After the cheesecake has cooled spread the mousse evenly on top. Refrigerate for about an hour then spread the whipped cream on top. Refrigerate several hours before serving.