Shelly's Recipe

WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE WITH STRAWBERRY SWIRL

Category: Cheesecake

For the Sauce—
Process; simmer:
10 oz fresh strawberries, hulled, quartered
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp strawberry preserves
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Combine; whisk in:
2 tbsp water
2 tsp cornstarch

For the Crust—
Process:
7 chocolate wafer cookies, crumbled
3 whole graham crackers, crumbled
2 tbsp sugar
Pinch salt

Add:
3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

For the Cheesecake—
Melt; Set Aside:
8 oz white chocolate, chopped

Blend:
3 (8 oz) pkgs cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar

Add:
3 eggs
Melted white chocolate
1 tsp vanilla extract
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Swirl in:
1/4 cup cold strawberry sauce

Process berries, sugar, preserves, and lemon juice for the sauce in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan; bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth; whisk into berry mixture. Simmer to thicken slightly, about 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl, cover, and chill until cold.

Preheat oven to 300 with rack in the center. Coat a 9 inch springform pan with nonstick spray.

Process cookies, crackers, sugar, and salt for crust in a food processor until fine.

Add butter as machine is running. Pat crumbs on bottom and up sides of pan.

Melt chocolate for the cheesecake in a double boiler over barely simmering water. Remove from heat before totally melted—it'll smooth as it sits; set aside.

Blend cream cheese and sugar with a mixer until smooth, scraping the sides of the bowl periodically.

Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Blend in melted chocolate, vanilla, and lemon juice. Pour batter into prepared pan, then drizzle with 1/4 cup strawberry sauce.

Swirl sauce into batter. Drag a skewer or knife tip through the sauce to create a marbled pattern. Do not over swirl, or you will get a pink cheesecake. Place pan on a baking sheet and bake until edges are set and puffed but center is still jiggly, 60–80 minutes; do not over bake.

Turn off oven, crack door open with a wooden spoon, and cool cake inside 1 hour. Remove from oven and cool completely. Cover cake with a towel and chill overnight. Slice cheesecake and serve with remaining strawberry sauce.