Coconut Cheesecake

To tell the truth, I wasn't really looking forward to making this cheesecake. Not that I dreaded it (it's on the Q&E list, after all), it just seemed a little boring, especially after the strawberry-chocolate cake. But I should have known that if Rose included a recipe for coconut cheesecake, it would be the best possible coconut cheesecake. Not having sampled all possibilities, I can't say it's the BEST, but I can say that I find myself dreaming about it mid-afternoon.
The recipe calls for eight egg yolks. For some reason, all the eggs I bought at our local farmer's market were double-yolked, but the 16 yolks from eight eggs was almost precisely 150 grams.

The coconut cookie crust doesn't require you to bake homemade coconut cookies (or it wouldn't be quick and easy, right?)--all you have to do is process vanilla wafers and coconut. Not odd, difficult-to-find coconut either; just plain Angel Flake.

I'm so happy since I bought my 9-inch silicone round pan, which stretches around my 9-inch springform pan to keep water from seeping in. No more leaky foil wraps for me!

Once the crust is ready, the making the cheesecake is easy-peasy. If you don't like dairy, this is not the dessert for you: a pound of cream cheese and two cups of sour cream.

Nice and creamy-and of course the addition of those 16 egg yolks give it a rich golden hue.

As I mentioned, I had a little trouble finding the cream of coconut. Then I read Jennifer's comment about all the chemicals in it, which caused me to look at the label again. Hmmm. It does have a few extra syllables, doesn't it? I'm a little taken aback by the idea of a "Family Pina Colada"--just omit the rum. Is there a point to that?
Anyway, Rose says to mix up the cream of coconut in the food processor. Because Rose told me to do it, I did, but I think that you could probably successfully whisk it, and not have to get the processor dirty again.
And that's it! All that's left is baking it. Oh, but first--pour hot water around the springform pan which you've placed in a roasting pan, or whatever you have that's big enough to hold the cheesecake. Note to self: buy yourself a roasting pan before making the next cheesecake!

The cake bakes for 45 minutes, cools in the oven for an hour, and then cools on a rack for another hour. You don't have to do anything during this time except listen for the timer's reminding ding.
There's a little crack on one side of the cheesecake, but it's going to be covered with toasted coconut, so I don't care. I see that my cheesecake is quite lopsided, which tells me that I didn't do a very good job of straightening the springform pan in the silicone pan. I'm not concerned. Some of my best friends are lopsided.

I'm sorry to admit that once again I missed the clearly marked "Plan Ahead" section. Therefore we ate the cheesecake the following day, and I took it in to work the day after that. The only thing left to do was to toast some coconut. I loved the crisp, honey-brown result.

Jim, despite his well-known aversion to coconut, loved this cheesecake, but the toasted coconut on top was too much for him, and he carefully scraped it off. I ate it. Jack Sprat and his wife had nothing on us.
This would be a perfect recipe for an Asian dinner of any kind--not authentic, maybe, but I think the flavors would be just right. If you don't want to wait until you make an Asian dinner, it would work with almost anything else.

TASTING PANEL
     Sean: "This is the best cheesecake I’ve ever had. If someone had told me the cheesecake in the lunchroom was from a really famous restaurant, I’d have no trouble believing it."
     Ben"  "Really delicious--thanks for bringing it in."
     Jodie:  "Is this a Rose recipe?  Can I have it?"
     Jim:  "I love the cheesecake, but I could do without that stuff on top."
     Karen:  "This is a really delicious cheesecake.  I'm sure it's not really light, but it seems light, and the coconut flavor is definite, but subtle."