Brown Cheese Cheescake

Photo and recipe credit: Scandinavian Cookbook https://scandinaviancookbook.com/norwegian-brunost-brown-cheese-cheesecake/#recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes 
Chilling Time: 3 hours 
Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes 
Servings: 9  

Equipment
Springform pan (diameter: 24-26 cm, 9-10 in)
Food processor

Ingredients

Crust:  

  • 4 oz. graham crackers (or digestive biscuits) = about 1 cup
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar 
  • 4 Tbsp. butter  

Filling: 

  • 2/3 cup heavy cream 
  • 1 vanilla pod 
  • 7 oz. brown cheese 
  • 14 oz. full fat cream cheese (about 2 cups) 
  • 1 cup sugar 
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/2 lemon  

Instructions  

Crust:  

  1. Preheat oven to 345°F (175°C) and line the bottom of the springform with baking paper.  
  2. Place the biscuits or crackers, sugar and cardamom in your food processor and process until you have small crumbs.   
  3. Melt the butter and add to the food processor. Process a bit more until the butter is combined. The mixture will still be crumbly.  
  4. Press the mixture into the bottom of your springform and bake for about 10 minutes. Then turn the oven down to 300°F (150°C).   

Filling:  

  1. Add the heavy cream to a saucepan. Slice open the vanilla pod with a knife and scrape the seeds out into the heavy cream. Add the empty pod halves to the cream as well and bring the cream to a simmer.  
  2. As the cream is heating, slice or grate the brown cheese. As soon as the cream begins to bubble, remove from heat and take out the empty vanilla pod. Stir in the brown cheese until it is smooth and completely melted. You can use a whisk to get the mixture smoothe.  
  3. Add the cream cheese and sugar to a large mixing bowl and stir until smooth. Add the brown cheese/cream mixture and stir until smooth.  
  4. Add in one egg at a time, stirring well after each. Add lemon juice to taste.  
  5. Pour the filling onto the crust and bake at 300°F (150°C) for about 45-50 minutes. The edges should be firm, but the center will still jiggle.  
  6. Let the cheesecake cool completely, then chill the cake in the fridge overnight, or at least for a few hours before serving.  

Source: Scandinavian Cookbook