Pina Colada Cheesecake With Coco-Nut Crust - cooking recipe

Ingredients

Coco Nut Crust
1 1/2 - 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup ground toasted brazil nuts or 1 cup ground toasted filbert nut
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted, cooled to room temperature
Cheesecake
2 1/4 lbs cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 cup unsweetened crushed canned pineapple, drained well, 1/2 cup juice reserved
1/3 cup coconut rum
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature, slightly beaten
2 slices fresh pineapple, 1/2 cm thick (optional) or 2 slices canned pineapple (optional)

Preparation

Prepare coco nut crust.
Place oven rack in centre of oven, heat to 350 degrees.
Coat bottom and sides of 9 inch springform pan evenly with unmelted butter, reserve.
Stir coconut, Brazil nuts and sugar in medium bowl.
Drizzle melted butter over nut mixture.
Stir and toss mixture vigorously with fork until slightly darkened and uniform.
Press nut mixture evenly on sides and bottom of reserved pan.
Refrigerate 5 minutes.
Bake crust 7 minutes.
Cool on wire rack to room temperature before filling, about 30 minutes.
Cheesecake-------------.
Place oven rack in centre of oven, heat to 350 degrees.
Cut cream cheese into 1 inch cubes, place in large mixer bowl.
Beat at medium speed, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, until completely smooth.
Continue beating while gradually adding crushed pineapple.
Gradually beat in reserved pineapple juice and the liqueur until blended, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
Add sour cream to cheese mixture, beat at medium speed until blended.
Continue beating while very slowly adding sugar, scraping down sides of bowl as needed, beat until sugar is absorbed.
Add eggs, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating well and scraping down sides of bowl after each addition.
(Batter will be thin) Pour patter into baked cooled coconut crust.
Gently rotate pan several quarter turns to settle batter.
Bake until sides of cheesecake are set 2 1/2 inches in from edges and centre is still pudding like, 60 to 65 minutes for a creamy centre.
For a firmer centre, bake until centre is just set, about 10 minutes longer (cake may crack at sides).
transfer pan to wire rack away from drafts.
Let cool undisturbed until sides and bottom of pan are completely cooled to room temperature.
Remove sides of pan.
Refrigerate cake uncovered overnight or at least 8 hours.
Cover cake loosely with plastic wrap, refrigerate until serving time.
Make optional garnish just before serving.
Pare and core pineapple slices, cut out eyes of pineapple making small notches in outer edge of slices (or use canned slices).
Cut slices into quarters.
Place 6 to 8 pineapple quarters in border around top of cheesecake.