Crust: ------ 20 amaretti macaroons or 3/4 c graham cracker crumbs 2 1/2 oz (1/2 c) blanched, toasted almonds or hazelnuts 2 tbs sugar 2 oz unsalted butter, melted 4 oz semisweet chocolate Filling: -------- 1 lb semi or bittersweet chocolate 1 1/2 c cream 3 tbs dutch process cocoa 3 tbs instant espresso powder (optional) 1 c sugar 1/2 c rum (or 3/4 to 1 c Frangelico or Irish cream) 4 large eggs, lightly beaten 2 lb cream cheese at room temperature Adjust a rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees (F). Process the macaroons in a food processor or blender until they are about as fine as graham cracker crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a mixing bowl and process the nuts and sugar together until rather fine. Mix the nuts with the macaroon crumbs. Add the melted butter and stir to moisten the crumbs evenly. Turn the crumb mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Spread the crumbs evenly over the bottom of the pan with your fingertips and then press down firmly to form a compact crust. Bake for 8 minutes then set aside to cool. When cool, set the pan in the freezer to chill the crust. Meanwhile, cut the chocolate into small pieces and place it in the top of a double broiler over warm water on low heat. Stir frequently until melted and smooth. Pour the melted chocolate over the chilled crust and quickly spread it with the bottom of a spoon til it covers the crust, stopping 1/4 inch away from the edge. Brush melted butter onto the sides of the pan and return to the freezer. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the chocolate for the filling into small pieces and place them in the top of a double boiler over warm water on low heat. Let cook until almost completely melted and then stir until smooth. Remove from the double boiler and set aside. Scald 1/2 c of the cream over medium heat. When a skin forms on top of the cream, strain or sift in the cocoa and espresso powder. Whisk until smooth and cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened. Stir in the rum and the remaining cream and set aside. Beat the cream cheese til it is soft and fluffy, scraping the beaters once during the process. Add the sugar and beat, scraping the bowl occasionally, until the mixture is smooth. Add the chocolate and then the cream mixture while beating the mixture on low speed. Continue beating until completely smooth, scraping the bowl occasionally. Add the eggs and beat just til incorporated. Remove the pan from the freezer and wrap it in two layers of aluminum foil. Place the pan inside a larger, shallow pan. Pour the filling into the pan and rotate it gently to level the filling. Place the pan in the oven. Before closing the door, pour 1/2 to 1 inch of water into the larger pan. Bake the cheesecake for one hour (the cake will not be set all the way but will still move rather liquidly when moved). Turn off the oven and let the cake stand for an hour in the oven with the door open slightly. Remove the cake from the oven and remove the springform pan from the larger pan. Remove the foil and let the cheesecake sit until it has cooled to room temperature. Chill the cake, uncovered, overnight before cutting it. The cheesecake may be glazed with seedless fruit preserves that have been melted and then boiled to reduce slightly. Brush the glaze over the top and sides of the cake. Serve topped with whipped cream. You can use any liquer you want in this recipe, just adjust the amount added according to how strong the flavor of the liquor is (I've even made this with Boggs cranberry liquer). I generally leave out the espresso powder as the flavor of the liquer and the chocolate go well by themselves. You may also want to leave out the alcohol and just use espresso powder to flavor it, if you do so, increase the amount of cream added to compensate for the reduction in liquid. When the recipe says to beat the cream cheese til light and fluffy, you'd better believe it means it, the longer you beat the cream cheese mixture, the creamier the cake will be. I generally do not use a glaze or whipped cream on this as I find the complex flavours of the ingredients stand for themselves. You can also leave out the chocolate that is poured on the crust though I usually do it as it adds a nice dimension and keeps the crust more crisp. As a final warning, if properly baked, this cheesecake literally cannot be cut the same day it is made. It must set up in the refrigerator overnight or it will be a sloppy mess.