Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Pie With Homestyle Honey Crust

• 8 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 ¼ cup whole wheat flour
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ cup clover honey
• ¼ cup water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 ½ sheets, bronze gelatin
• 8 ounce cream cheese
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup alfalfa honey
• 1 vanilla bean (cut lengthwise and scrape seeds out)
• 1 cup heavy cream
• pinch of kosher salt

1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Melt the butter on the stove top in a small saucepan. Mix the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add the honey, water, and vanilla, and mix using the paddle attachment. Mix on low until a dough forms (more water may be needed to form dough–add ½ teaspoon at a time until dough comes together). Remove the dough from the mixer. Using your fingers, gently press the dough evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie or tart pan.
3. Bake for 15 minutes for a pie pan or 7 minutes for a tart. Cool completely. While the crust is cooling, prepare the cheesecake filling.
4. Submerge gelatin sheets in a bowl of ice water and allow the sheets to soften or “bloom” (approximately 5 minutes).
5. Place cream cheese in a metal bowl above boiling water and let it melt, stirring occasionally.
6. In a large mixing bowl, combine sour cream, honey, vanilla bean seeds, heavy cream and salt. Whip using an electric mixer with a whisk attachment until soft peaks form.
7. Remove the cream cheese from heat. Squeeze excess water from softened gelatin sheets and whisk gelatin into cream cheese. Add approximately ½ cup of the whipped sour cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture and whisk until smooth. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the remaining sour cream mixture into the cream cheese mixture.
8. To assemble, scoop the filling into prepared pie pan. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 2 to 3 hours before adding any desired topping. Cheesecake can be refrigerated for 2 to 3 days. Optional: For presentation and to contrast the cheesecake flavors, drizzle a darker honey such as buckwheat on top.