Baklava Cheesecake
Ingredients
Graham cracker-pistachio crust
- 12 honey graham cracker sheets
- 1/3 cup raw pistachios
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 5 tablespoons (about 2 1/2 ounces) unsalted butter, melted
Baklava cheesecake filling
- 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
- 5 1/2 ounces (2/3 cup) mascarpone cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest plus 1 tablespoon fresh juice (from 1 medium orange)
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 large eggs, at room temperature
Kataifi topping
- 4 ounces frozen kataifi, thawed and chopped into 1- to 2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon honey
Pistachio-honey topping
- 1 cup raw pistachios, chopped
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup honey
Additional ingredients
- 4 cups tap water
- 1 tbsp orange peel