Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Butter Rum Sauce

Outback used to serve a cheesecake with a caramel sauce.  Back in the day before my diagnosis, I would go to Outback just for the cheesecake.  More than once I bought a pint of the caramel sauce to take home.  I tried several times to make the sauce, but never managed one that was close to what I wanted.  This sauce is it, I don't know if their sauce was a butter rum rather than a caramel, but it tastes just like I remember.

For the Cheesecake, I used this recipe with a couple of alterations.  Normally, I don't make graham cracker crusts, since GF graham crackers are so pricey.  This time I did make a crust because I had a whole box of Schar graham crackers that got stepped on, URG!  The package of crackers made less crumbs than the recipe calls for, but I still used the same amount of butter and sugar.

My cheesecake did fall just a little bit, I didn't think about the distance between the rack and the top burner in my new oven and it started to get really brown on top.  So I had to open it up and put foil on top, which made the cheesecake fall (but it still tastes great!)

 
The other change I made was that I replaced the vanilla extract with this fabulous vanilla bean paste.  Teaspoon per teaspoon replacement, but this is so yummy and is not bitter at all, so if you want a stronger flavor you can add a little more.  In fact, if you get a little on your finger, lick it off!  I found this at Thyme and Seasons in North Salt Lake.


Okay my little disclaimer here.  I have always made rum sauce with artificial rum flavoring.  This is the first time I've ever used actual rum, since I don't drink, I try to avoid it.  But, well, this sauce!  It was so good I seriously sat and licked the bowl clean when I was done with it.  You could certainly make it with rum extract, substitute 1/4 cup extract for the reduced rum.

The sauce recipe is the second recipe in my series leading up to the most amazing cake/torte you have ever had.


I'm going to have to go back to the liquor store so that I can make more of this stuff!

For the fun of it, before I reduced the rum, I lit it on fire.  I haven't cooked en flambe before, I think I will play with it in the future.   If you do choose to light your rum on fire, you will have to snuff it out after a while, simply cover the pan so it is  airtight and wait a couple minutes.

Butter rum sauce

Ingredients:

1     cup packed brown sugar 

1    cube butter or margarine 

1  3/4    cup whipping (heavy) cream

1    cup rum

¼ teaspoon salt

 

Preparation:

Place rum in medium sauce pan over medium low heat. Reduce for 20-30 minutes until half the volume.  Add the other ingredients and cook over medium heat until boiling.  Boil 6-10 minutes stirring regularly.  Remove from heat and cool.

 At first, it seams like it isn't thick enough, but it thickens up a lot when you cool it. 

I went ahead and prepped the rum sauce at the same time I was making the cheesecake because I like the texture of the sauce when it has cooled and set all the way.