White Chocolate Berry Cheesecake (original recipe was for raspberries, I've also made it with black berries like the picture above - the pies were made by my Grandma, it seems I inherited her baking skills
)
Ingredients
1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs (I use oreos and omit the sugar listed next, and use less butter for the crust)
3 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 (10 ounce) package frozen raspberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
2 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup half-and-half cream
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1. In a medium bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.
2. In a saucepan, combine raspberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, cornstarch, and water. Bring to boil, and continue boiling 5 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer to remove seeds.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). In a metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt white chocolate chips with half-and-half, stirring occasionally until smooth.
4. In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla and melted white chocolate. Pour half of batter over crust. Spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over batter. Pour remaining cheesecake batter into pan, and again spoon 3 tablespoons raspberry sauce over the top. Swirl batter with the tip of a knife to create a marbled effect.
5. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 8 hours before removing from pan. Serve with remaining raspberry sauce.
Notes : Make sure you either give the cheesecake a water bath, or put a caserole dish filled with water on the shelf below the cheesecake, it keeps it moist.
When my cheesecake is done baking, I leave it in the oven with the door open for an hour, then move it to the counter top for an hour to cool, and then finally to the fridge with plastic, this helps keep the cheesecake from cracking
This has been the most requested cheesecake of them all, though my favorite is my citrus one
And if it's near Halloween I've also been known to bring this creepy looking cheeseball - pure deliciousness
I've also made it into a Michigan State Block S and a heart
Depending on the holiday I'll change up the shape and the coating
For the State S, I used white cheddar cheese and sliced green olives as the topping, and for the heart diced red peppers
Note - this is creepy
Ingredients
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (I use more, more like 2 cloves)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce (I use more, 2 tablespoons at least)
1 pound shredded Cheddar cheese
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped (I omit the nuts most often for food allergies)
I add either Ham or Pastrami for the Halloween version - I make the cheeseball mix and then put seran wrap in a mask and layer the meat, then fill it in with the cheeseball mix and refrigerate it.
Directions
1. In an electric food processor or blender, combine cream cheese, garlic, Worcestershire sauce and hot pepper sauce. Blend well. Add Cheddar cheese and process until the Cheddar is fine, but still very visible. Shape the mixture into balls or logs. Wrap individually in plastic wrap and place in the freezer.
2. (If you decide to use the nuts instead of meat) While the balls are in the freezer, combine the ground pecans and parsley in a shallow bowl. Remove the balls from the freezer and roll them in the pecan and parsley mixture.