Chocolate Rum Espresso Cheesecake

Crust:
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20 amaretti macaroons or 3/4 c graham cracker crumbs
2 1/2 oz (1/2 c) blanched, toasted almonds or hazelnuts
2 tbs sugar
2 oz unsalted butter, melted
4 oz semisweet chocolate

Filling:
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1 lb semi or bittersweet chocolate
1 1/2 c cream
3 tbs dutch process cocoa
3 tbs instant espresso powder (optional)
1 c sugar
1/2 c rum (or 3/4 to 1 c Frangelico or Irish cream)
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 lb cream cheese at room temperature
Adjust a rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat the
oven to 375 degrees (F).

Process the macaroons in a food processor or blender until they are
about as fine as graham cracker crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a mixing
bowl and process the nuts and sugar together until rather fine. Mix the
nuts with the macaroon crumbs. Add the melted butter and stir to
moisten the crumbs evenly.

Turn the crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.
Spread the crumbs evenly over the bottom of the pan with your fingertips
and then press down firmly to form a compact crust. Bake for 8 minutes
then set aside to cool. When cool, set the pan in the freezer to chill
the crust.

Meanwhile, cut the chocolate into small pieces and place it in the top
of a double broiler over warm water on low heat. Stir frequently until
melted and smooth. Pour the melted chocolate over the chilled crust and
quickly spread it with the bottom of a spoon til it covers the crust,
stopping 1/4 inch away from the edge. Brush melted butter onto the
sides of the pan and return to the freezer.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the chocolate for the filling into small pieces and place them in
the top of a double boiler over warm water on low heat. Let cook until
almost completely melted and then stir until smooth. Remove from the
double boiler and set aside.

Scald 1/2 c of the cream over medium heat. When a skin forms on top of
the cream, strain or sift in the cocoa and espresso powder. Whisk until
smooth and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until slightly
thickened. Stir in the rum and the remaining cream and set aside.

Beat the cream cheese til it is soft and fluffy, scraping the beaters
once during the process. Add the sugar and beat, scraping the bowl
occasionally, until the mixture is smooth. Add the chocolate and then
the cream mixture while beating the mixture on low speed. Continue
beating until completely smooth, scraping the bowl occasionally. Add
the eggs and beat just til incorporated.

Remove the pan from the freezer and wrap it in two layers of aluminum
foil. Place the pan inside a larger, shallow pan. Pour the filling
into the pan and rotate it gently to level the filling. Place the pan
in the oven. Before closing the door, pour 1/2 to 1 inch of water into
the larger pan.

Bake the cheesecake for one hour (the cake will not be set all the way
but will still move rather liquidly when moved). Turn off the oven and
let the cake stand for an hour in the oven with the door open slightly.

Remove the cake from the oven and remove the springform pan from the
larger pan. Remove the foil and let the cheesecake sit until it has
cooled to room temperature. Chill the cake, uncovered, overnight before
cutting it.

The cheesecake may be glazed with seedless fruit preserves that have
been melted and then boiled to reduce slightly. Brush the glaze over
the top and sides of the cake. Serve topped with whipped cream.
You can use any liquer you want in this recipe, just adjust the amount
added according to how strong the flavor of the liquor is (I've even
made this with Boggs cranberry liquer). I generally leave out the
espresso powder as the flavor of the liquer and the chocolate go well by
themselves. You may also want to leave out the alcohol and just use
espresso powder to flavor it, if you do so, increase the amount of cream
added to compensate for the reduction in liquid.

When the recipe says to beat the cream cheese til light and fluffy,
you'd better believe it means it, the longer you beat the cream cheese
mixture, the creamier the cake will be.

I generally do not use a glaze or whipped cream on this as I find the
complex flavours of the ingredients stand for themselves. You can also
leave out the chocolate that is poured on the crust though I usually do
it as it adds a nice dimension and keeps the crust more crisp.

As a final warning, if properly baked, this cheesecake literally cannot
be cut the same day it is made. It must set up in the refrigerator
overnight or it will be a sloppy mess.