WARM UPSIDE-DOWN CHEESECAKE WITH PINEAPPLE SAUCE

Warm Upside-Down Cheesecake with Pineapple Sauce image

Yield Serves 2

Number Of Ingredients 10

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
6 ounces cream cheese, softened (3/4 cup)
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 large egg
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 cup drained canned crushed pineapple in juice, reserving 1 tablespoon of the juice
1/2 cup water

Steps:

In a small saucepan melt the butter over moderate heat, stir in the graham cracker crumbs, and divide the mixture among 4 paper-lined 1/2-cup muffin tins, pressing it to form a crust. Bake the crusts in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 5 minutes and let them cool on a rack for 5 minutes.
In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together the cream cheese, 1/4 cup of the sugar, the zest, and the vanilla until the mixture is combined well, and divide the batter among the tins. Bake the cheesecakes in the middle of the preheated 350°F. oven for 20 minutes, or until they are set, and let them cool on a rack for 10 minutes.
While the cheesecakes are baking, in a small bowl dissolve the cornstarch in the reserved pineapple juice. In the small saucepan simmer the crushed pineapple with the water and the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar for 5 minutes, or until the liquid is reduced to about 2 tablespoons, stir the cornstarch mixture, and stir it into the pineapple mixture. Simmer the sauce, stirring, for 2 minutes, transfer it to a metal bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water, and let it cool, stirring occasionally. Spoon the sauce onto 2 plates and invert the cheesecakes onto the sauce, discarding the paper.