Mini Me Lemon Cheesecakes with Tipsy Banana Sauce

A lemon-flavored cream cheese-and-mascarpone mixture is poured into individual ramekins, baked, inverted, and served with a banana-rum sauce.

Ingredients:

• Crust:
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• Filling:
• 1 lb cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 lb mascarpone cheese, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 3 eggs plus 1 additional egg yolk
• Sauce:
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 4 ripe bananas, peeled and sliced
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp spiced rum
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder

Directions:

Crush pecans into small pieces and place in bowl, stir in graham cracker crumbs and melted butter. Press equal amounts of crust into bottom and sides of 4 ramekins and set aside. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place cream cheese, mascarpone cheese, sugar and flour in mixing bowl. Mix on low until ingredients are just combined. Add lemon juice and vanilla and increase speed of mixer. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Pour batter into crust; place each ramekin into baking pan filled with 1-2 inches of water. Carefully place baking dish in oven to bake for one hour. Increase temperature of oven to 500 degrees and bake for another 5 minutes or until golden. Remove from oven and let cool. For Sauce, melt butter in skillet, add brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Add bananas and maple syrup and cook about 3 minutes. Slowly add rum to pan and shake pan to distribute and heat rum. Carefully ignite rum with a match, continuing to shake pan back and forth. When flame dies, add cream to skillet, stir and heat to incorporate. To serve, unmold cheesecake on serving dish, place bananas around top and pour sauce on top of each dish. Garnish with cocoa powder.

Number of Servings: 4