(Best if made the day or 2 days before)
Ingredients:
5 – (8 ounce) packages cream cheese softened
2/3 cup organic cane sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 package pistachio pudding-n-pie filling (Jello)
5 large eggs
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 Tbsp. Vanilla Nielsen (Massey preferably)
¼ tsp. salt (preferably sea salt)
Crust:
1/2 cup Pistachios shelled
½ bag Stella Doro – Margarite blend – plain vanilla – (12 cookies)
1/8 stick melted butter or 2 oz.
1- 9 inch spring form pan
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 F
Cooking time 75 to 80 minutes
1) Make the pistachio crust by blending the Stella Doro cookies in food processor with pistachios. Once blended to a nice crumble, add the melted butter.
2) Place the crumbs in a thin layer on the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. Cook until the crust is a slightly browned on top approximately 12 minutes. Chill in freezer for 10 minutes while you make your filling.
Pistachio Cream Cheese Filling:
Whip in a mixer, 3 packages of the cream cheese, slowly for 2 minutes. Add 1/3 cup sugar. Whip for 1 more minute. Scrape the bottom well lifting up the cream cheese mixture. Add the pistachio pudding mix and remaining sugar, cream cheese, vanilla and salt. Continue beating slowly adding eggs one at time for about 3 minutes. Scrape the bottom well with a spatula. Add heavy cream until well incorporated.
Gently pour the cheese filling on top of the chilled pistachio cookie cracker crumb spring form pan.
Place the spring form pan in a large shallow baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Fold the foil around the spring formed pan with the cheesecake filling in it. Be sure the aluminum foil acts as a barrier to not allow water to soak through the bottom of the spring pan. Add hot water 1/2 way up the outside of the spring pan aluminum barrier. Easiest to add water once pie is in placed in oven.
Bake the cheesecake until lightly browned on top and firm. DO NOT OPEN OVEN.
Turn oven off and leave cheesecake in oven, WITHOUT opening the oven door for at least 2 hours. *This will prevent cracking. Do not open the oven door. Once cooled, cover the cake with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Leave in the spring form pan until ready to serve.
Serve with whipped cream to garnish.