This week, it is All About Cherries!
To continue our summer theme of fruits and desserts, I thought we would feature a timeless classic – the Cheesecake – and my tempting version featuring that provocative fruit: Cherries.
What I love about this cheesecake is that it uses fewer eggs than usual, without compromising the taste and texture. Of course, if you are a purist, nothing beats a solid New York Cheesecake. But, hey, life is meant to be inventive, so there is always room for variation, and, dare I say it, even improvement!
There are two technical things about this cheesecake: 1) the cream cheese needs to be at room temperature; and 2) use a water bath for even baking.
So, without further ado, this is my “Lemon Cheesecake with Cherry Sauce” recipe:
Graham cracker crust:
10 Graham crackers
(8 oz)
1 tsp salt
1/2stick (2 oz) melted butter
1 tsp cinnamon
(optional)
Filling:
2 pkgs cream cheese
¾ cup white sugar
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp lemon zest
2 tbsps lemon juice
3 eggs +1 yolk
1/3cup heavy cream
Cherry Sauce:
2 cups frozen cherries
½ cup water
1/3cup white sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
zest from one lemon
1 tbsp corn starch
Preheat oven to 325°F
One 9” spring form pan
To make crust, pulse crackers and salt (and cinnamon, if using) in processor, or crush in a ziplocked bag using a rolling pin. Add melted butter and mix well. Press into the bottom of spring form pan. Bake at 325°F for 10 minutes, and remove from oven. Cool cake on rack. Fill a large, deep pan halfway with water, and place in oven at 325°F.
Beat cream cheese with a mixer for four minutes at medium speed until smooth. Add sugar, salt, vanilla, zest, lemon juice, and continue to beat for another minute. Manually beat eggs and cream in a separate bowl, then add to cream cheese mixture. Beat at medium for another three minutes until incorporated.
Pour mixture into pan lined with Graham cracker crust. Wrap foil around the baking pan and place into the water bath. Bake for 60 minutes, then turn off the oven. Keep the cheesecake in the oven for another ½ hour to 45 minutes. Cake is done when knife comes out clean when inserted into middle. Cool until room temperature, then remove from pan.
Cherry Sauce: Place all ingredients except corn starch into a pot and cook over medium heat. Use some of the liquid to dissolve the corn starch in a small cup, then add back to sauce. Cook, stirring, until thickened (about five minutes). Cool and serve with cheesecake.
