Bourbon and Cheese for dessert?

Many people cannot stand cheesecake. And yet many people swear by it. Last night I was offered a bourbon-caramel cheesecake at a birthday gathering, a feast that also included cayenne dry-rub smoked ribs, hush puppies and Sriracha-infused mac & cheese. I thought I might die of cardiac arrest, but the first bite prepared me for any potential medical emergency that might ensue from said meal: a state of serene bliss. I asked my friend for the recipe and offer it here with adaptations and thoughts on perfecting the recipe. Let me know what you think.

Bourbon Caramel Cheesecake

Crust
1.5 cups graham-cracker crumbs [or perhaps a mixture of crushed pretzels, chocolate cookies, and ground almonds]
3 Tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3 Tbs unsalted butter, melted

Filling
3 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, room temperature
1.25 cups sugar
6 eggs, separated
1 pint sour cream
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp vanilla
Zest of 1 lemon
1/3 cup bourbon, plus more for brushing

Bourbon-Caramel Topping
1 cup refined white sugar
6 Tbs salted butter
1 cup heavy cream
1-2 Tbs bourbon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

To make crust: Grease 9x3-in springform pan with butter; place pan in center of a 12-in square of aluminum foil and press foil up around side of pan. Combine graham-cracker crumbs (or other mixture), sugar, cinnamon and melted butter in a small bowl until blended well. Press 3/4 cup of crumb mixture into bottom and side of pan. Chill prepared pan while preparing the filling.

To make filling: Beat cream cheese in a large bowl until soft with electric mixer. Beat in sugar gradually until light and fluffy. Beat in egg yolks, one a time, until blended well. Stir in sour cream, flour, vanilla, lemon rind and bourbon until smooth. In separate bowl, beat egg whites until they hold stiff peaks. Fold whites into the cheese mixture until blended well. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake at 350ºF for 75 minutes, or until top is golden; turn off oven heat and allow cake to cool in oven for 1 hour. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack at room temperature. Chill overnight before serving. The next day, before adding the topping, prick the top of cake with a toothpick and brush with an ounce or two of bourbon.

To make caramel topping: Melt the sugar over medium heat in a medium saucepan, then add butter, stirring vigorously. Remove from heat and carefully add cream, stirring until incorporated. It will bubble up and is extremely hot. Stir in bourbon and vanilla. Mixture will thicken as it cools.

Cocktails in Boston

Happy 2012! This here is my updated list of Boston-area cocktail establishments, organized by neighborhood. Consider it my New Year's gift to you all. Rather than run the course of ranking them, I'll let you decide. However, the asterisks do point to some especially recommended places. Question marks are places for which the jury is still out. Please share the list with friends and share your ideas (additions, deletions, rankings, etc) with me. Happy New Year! and- Cheers!

Cambridge: Harvard Square

West Side Lounge - 1680 Mass Ave (btw Harvard & Porter Sq)

Rafiki Bistro – 1682 Mass Ave (btw Harvard & Porter Sq)

*Russell House Tavern - 14 JFK St (Harvard Sq)

Casa Blanca - 40 Brattle St (Harvard Sq)

Noir @ Charles Hotel - One Bennett St (Harvard Sq)

Rialto @ Charles Hotel - One Bennett St (Harvard Sq)

The Red House - 98 Winthrop St (Harvard Sq)

*Upstairs on the Square – 91 Winthrop St (Harvard Sq)

Cambridge: Central Square

Rendezvous - 502 Mass Ave (Central Sq)

*Green Street Grill - 280 Green St (Central Sq)

Lord Hobo - 92 Hampshire St (north of Central Sq)

Brick & Mortar – 569 Mass Ave (formerly Enormous Room; just opened) ??

Craigie on Main – 853 Main St (between Central and Kendall)

Cuchi Cuchi – 795 Main Street (between Central and Kendall)

Cambridge: Kendall Square

*Blue Room - One Kendall Square (Kendall Sq)

Think Tank – 1a Kendall Square ??

Hungry Mother - 233 Cardinal Medeiros Ave (Kendall Sq)

Abigail’s – 291 3^rd Street (Kendall Sq)

Catalyst – 300 Technology Square (between Central and Kendall)

Area Four – 500 Technology Square (between Central and Kendall)

Inman Square / Union Square / East Cambridge / Somerville

*Trina’s Starlite Lounge - 3 Beacon St, Somerville (near Inman Sq)

*Backbar – Union Square, 9 Sanborn Court (part of Journeyman)

*Bergamot - 118 Beacon St (corner of Kirkland/Washington & Beacon)

*Highland Kitchen - 150 Highland Ave (Somerville)

Davis Square

Foundry on Elm - 255 Elm St (Davis Sq)

*Saloon – 255 Elm Street, Davis Square [underneath Foundry]

Five Horses Tavern – 400 Highland Ave, Davis Sq

South End

*The Gallows - 1395 Washington St

Gaslight Brasserie - 560 Harrison Ave

*Coppa - 253 Shawmut Ave

Franklin Café - 278 Shawmut Ave

*Union Bar and Grill - 1357 Washington St

Estragon Tapas - 700 Harrison Ave

Post 390 – 406 Stuart St., Boston ??

28 Degrees – 1 Appleton St ??

Toro – 1704 Washington St

*South End Buttery – 314 Shawmut Avenue

Beacon Hill

Beacon Hill Bistro – 25 Charles St

Scampo – Liberty Hotel

*No 9 Park – 9 Park Street

Downtown Boston

*Woodward @ Ames Hotel - 1 Court St (near Gov Center)

*Scholars - 25 School St (near Gov Center)

Stoddards – 48 Temple Place (near Downtown Crossing)

Bristol Lounge @ Four Seasons Hotel - 200 Boylston St (Boston Common)

*Marliave - 10 Bosworth St (near Gov Center) 

North End

*Neptune Oyster – 63 Salem St

Aragosta Bistro – Fairmont Battery Wharf Hotel – 3 Battery Wharf

Kenmore/Back Bay/Fenway

*Eastern Standard - 528 Commonwealth Ave (Kenmore Sq)

*Island Creek Oyster Bar - 500 Commonwealth Ave (Kenmore Sq)

Citizen Public House  and Oyster Bar - 1310 Boylston (near Fenway)

Towne Stove and Spirits – 900 Boylston Street

Sorellina – 1 Huntington Ave, Copley Square

The Brahmin – 33 Stanhope St [near HardRock Café / Copley] ??

Cafeteria Boston – 279a Newbury Street ??

*The Hawthorne – 500a Comm Ave

Sweet Cheeks – 1381 Boylston St [near Fenway] ??

South Boston

*Drink - 348 Congress St (Fort Point)

Franklin Southie - 152 Dorchester Ave (Southie, near Broadway redline T stop)

*Local 149 – 149 P Street (Southie)

Brookline

Matt Murphy's Pub - 14 Harvard St (Brookline Village)

Washington Square Tavern – 714 Washington St

*Orinoco – 22 Harvard St (Brookline Village)

Beacon Tavern – 1032 Beacon Street (not far from Fenway)

Allston/Brighton

*Deep Ellum - 477 Cambridge St (Allston/Brighton)