Have you ever known people who are always in trouble?? Accident prone? Accident prone families? My friend Laura is one of those people. Last week, when she was in China, she ran head on into a motorcycle. She ended up in a ditch, with a scooter on top of her. Luckily, a traveling companion had a supply of Lortab, and she was able to make it back to the U.S. in one piece. I keep telling her husband Eric, I'm not sure if it's a good or bad thing to hang out with him...some one is always getting injured, but also rescued in his presence. Laura loves this dessert, so I'm taking her some tonight...
Want a spectacular dessert for a holiday party? If you or anyone you know is a cheesecake lover, get out your springform pan. The only problem with making this in the winter is finding good looking strawberries. I had to go to three stores before I found some that would work. Oh, and if you have a problem with high cholesterol, just WALK AWAY. Now.
P.S. This dessert won the Bon Appetit readers all time favorite recipe in '98.
Begin preparing this a day before serving.
Fresh Strawberry topped Cheesecake
Want a spectacular dessert for a holiday party? If you or anyone you know is a cheesecake lover, get out your springform pan. The only problem with making this in the winter is finding good looking strawberries. I had to go to three stores before I found some that would work. Oh, and if you have a problem with high cholesterol, just WALK AWAY. Now.
P.S. This dessert won the Bon Appetit readers all time favorite recipe in '98.
Begin preparing this a day before serving.
Fresh Strawberry topped Cheesecake
Yield: Serves 12-14
For crust
18 whole graham cracker , broken
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced
1/4 cup packed golden brown sugar
For filling
4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
5 large eggs
For topping
2 cups sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 16-ounce baskets strawberries, hulled
1 18-ounce jar raspberry jelly
Make crust:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Wrap foil around outside of 10-inch-diameter springform pan with 3-inch-high sides. Combine graham crackers, butter and sugar in processor. Using on/off turns, blend until crumbs begin to stick together. Press crumbs onto bottom and 2 3/4 inches up sides of springform pan. Bake crust 10 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool while preparing filling. Maintain oven temperature.
Make filling:
Beat cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and salt in large bowl until very smooth. Beat in flour. Add eggs and beat just until blended, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Pour batter into crust.
Bake cheesecake until outer 2-inch edge of cake is puffed and slightly cracked, center is just set and top is brown in spots, about 55 minutes. Transfer cake to rack. Cool 10 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.
Make topping:
Whisk sour cream, sugar and vanilla in medium bowl to blend.
Spoon topping over cake, spreading to edge of pan. Bake until topping is just set, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Run knife between crust and pan.
Cool hot cake in pan on rack, Chill overnight.
Release pan sides from cheesecake. Arrange whole berries, points facing up, atop cheesecake; cover completely. Stir jelly in heavy small saucepan over medium-low heat until melted.Cool to barely lukewarm, about 5 minutes. Brush enough jelly over berries to glaze generously, allowing some to drip between berries. Reserve remaining glaze in saucepan. (Cake and glaze can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover cake and refrigerate.)
Rewarm remaining glaze until pourable. Cut cake into wedges. Pass remaining glaze separately.
Tips:
1. The berries should be as uniform in size as possible. Without any green tips. Cutting the green tips off really doesn't work, because the tips are exposed.
2. I'm sure raspberries, or a frozen fruit mix (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries) would work well too. Just thaw the fruit and toss it with the jelly before topping the cheesecake.
3. I have made this a few times, and cutting the butter in the crust to 1/2 cup, and reducing the brown sugar to 1/4 cup works well.
4. Keep refrigerated until just before serving.
For crust
18 whole graham cracker , broken
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, diced
1/4 cup packed golden brown sugar
For filling
4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
5 large eggs
For topping
2 cups sour cream
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 16-ounce baskets strawberries, hulled
1 18-ounce jar raspberry jelly
Make crust:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Wrap foil around outside of 10-inch-diameter springform pan with 3-inch-high sides. Combine graham crackers, butter and sugar in processor. Using on/off turns, blend until crumbs begin to stick together. Press crumbs onto bottom and 2 3/4 inches up sides of springform pan. Bake crust 10 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool while preparing filling. Maintain oven temperature.
Make filling:
Beat cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla and salt in large bowl until very smooth. Beat in flour. Add eggs and beat just until blended, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Pour batter into crust.
Bake cheesecake until outer 2-inch edge of cake is puffed and slightly cracked, center is just set and top is brown in spots, about 55 minutes. Transfer cake to rack. Cool 10 minutes. Maintain oven temperature.
Make topping:
Whisk sour cream, sugar and vanilla in medium bowl to blend.
Spoon topping over cake, spreading to edge of pan. Bake until topping is just set, about 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Run knife between crust and pan.
Cool hot cake in pan on rack, Chill overnight.
Release pan sides from cheesecake. Arrange whole berries, points facing up, atop cheesecake; cover completely. Stir jelly in heavy small saucepan over medium-low heat until melted.Cool to barely lukewarm, about 5 minutes. Brush enough jelly over berries to glaze generously, allowing some to drip between berries. Reserve remaining glaze in saucepan. (Cake and glaze can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover cake and refrigerate.)
Rewarm remaining glaze until pourable. Cut cake into wedges. Pass remaining glaze separately.
Tips:
1. The berries should be as uniform in size as possible. Without any green tips. Cutting the green tips off really doesn't work, because the tips are exposed.
2. I'm sure raspberries, or a frozen fruit mix (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries) would work well too. Just thaw the fruit and toss it with the jelly before topping the cheesecake.
3. I have made this a few times, and cutting the butter in the crust to 1/2 cup, and reducing the brown sugar to 1/4 cup works well.
4. Keep refrigerated until just before serving.
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