Eggnog Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust & Pomegranate Glaze

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Prepare a 9-inch springform pan.
2. Prepare the crust by melting the butter and combining it with the gingersnap crumbs and brown sugar in a large bowl. Make sure all of the ingredients are moistened evenly. Press them into the bottom of a springform pan and bake for 10 minutes or until the crust is nicely toasted. Set aside to cool.
3. In a mixer blend the cream cheese, butter and sour cream until smooth. Then, add the cornstarch, sugar, vanilla, rum, cognac and nutmeg. Beat on high speed until well-blended, scraping down sides as needed. Finally, add eggs one a time, mixing well after each addition.
4. Pour the cheesecake batter on top of the cooled gingersnap crust. Then, wrap the pan very tightly with aluminum foil so that it can be placed in a hot water bath. (You are not going for looks here - wrap the aluminum foil as tightly as possible - you don't want the batter ruined by water seeping in!!) Then, fill a deep baking or roasting pan with water until it is at least halfway up the side of the springform pan. Bake cheesecake for 60-70 minutes. Or, until it is set and the top is light brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
5. For the Glaze: Add sugar, cornstarch pomegranate seeds and pomegranate juice to a small saucepan. Simmer until the liquid is reduced by half and starts to get syrupy. Allow to cool to room temperature before drizzling over cool cheesecake to serve.