Thai Tea Cheesecake with Chocolate Crumb Crust from The Heart of the Plate: A Tribute to Mollie Katzen
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8
 
Ingredients
  • Crust
  • 10-11 graham crackers (6-7 ounces)
  • ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
  • Filling
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • 1½ cups strong brewed Thai tea (see note)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces
  • Topping
  • ⅔ cup sour cream
  • 2 tablespoons strong brewed Thai tea
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt
Instructions
  1. Make the crust by placing the graham crackers into a food processor and pulse until you get fine crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl. Stir in the cocoa powder and sugar; pour in the melted butter. Mix well. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan, making sure the thickness of the crust is even throughout and that the crumbs on the sides of the pan are flush with the rim. Set aside.
  2. Make the filling by combining the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan. Add the eggs and whisk until smooth. Stir in the tea and vanilla. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. In about 5 minutes, the mixture should become thick and glossy.
  3. Remove the saucepan from heat and whisk in the cream cheese, one piece at a time, making sure the mixture is smooth and completely free of lumps after each addition.
  4. Pour the filling into the prepared crust. Let it cool to room temperature, about 40 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.
  5. Meanwhile, make the topping by whisking all of the topping ingredients together until smooth. Spoon the topping mixture on top of the chilled pie, spreading it all the way to the edges (I kind of broke this rule, because I wanted the contrast between the dark orange filling and the light orange topping to show in the overhead shot). Cover the pie with a fresh sheet of plastic wrap, being careful not to disturb the topping. Chill the pie for another 2-3 hours (this much time should be sufficient, although I've found that overnight is much better, especially if you plan to make this for company and want each slice to hold its shape well and the filling and topping forming 2 distinctly separate layers).
  6. Serve the pie cold.
Notes
For this recipe, steep ½ cup of Thai tea mix in 2½ cups of boiling water for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing out as much liquid as you can from the tea leaves. This produces enough strong tea to use in both the filling and the topping.
Recipe by SheSimmers at https://shesimmers.com/2013/10/thai-tea-cheesecake-chocolate-crumb-crust-heart-plate-tribute-mollie-katzen.html