Something Squirrelly this Way Comes

Raspberry Cheesecake

Filling
1 1/3 cups finely crushed graham crackers
1/3 cup butter, melted (NOT margarine, lard, etc.. BUTTER. unsalted, unsweetened)
3 8-oz packages cream cheese at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp all-purpose flower
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup raspberry liqueur or milk
Raspberry sauce (see below)

Extra equipment
- Springform pan - 8 or 9 inch
- Lipped cookie sheet or baking pan for water bath
- Aluminum foil
- Hot (not boiling)water for water bath

Raspberry Sauce
1 10-oz package frozen raspberries, thawed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsps cornstarch
1/4 cup raspberry liqueur

Press raspberries through a sieve to remove seeds. In a medium saucepan combine cornstarch and sugar - whisk together to mix, then add sieved raspberries. Cook and stir over medium heat until bubbly and thickened. Reduce heat and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove from heat and cool. It's already a vibrant pinky red but you can add a couple drops of food coloring to increase the red.


1. Make Raspberry Sauce first. When done with sauce, preheat oven to 375.

2. Crust. In medium mixing bowl combine crackers and butter, press and mix together until crackers are evenly coated. Press mixture onto bottom of pan and about an inch up the sides. Wrap bottom of pan in aluminum foil and place on a lipped cookie sheet or cake pan.

3. Filling. In large mixing bowl beat cream cheese to soften and spread it out then add sugar, flour and vanilla. Mix on medium to high speed until combined. Add eggs and yolk. Beat on low until just combined, stir in liqueur.

4. Split your filling in half. Into half of your plain filling add 1/4 cup of the raspberry sauce and mix together.

5. Pour HALF of your PLAIN filling into pan, on top of crust. Spread out. Pour ALL of the Raspberry filling into the pan. Spread evenly.

6. Pour remaining plain filling on top of raspberry filling. Use spatula to swirl the raspberry filling up through the top. Just try not to scrape the crust.

7. Set cookie sheet/baking pan with springform pan onto oven rack, pour hot water into cookie sheet until it comes up sides of springform pan.

8. Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes (8 inch pan) or 45-50 minutes (9 inch pan). If the center appears nearly set when shaken, then you're done.

9. Remove springform pan and place on wire wrack. Cool for 15 minutes. Then take metal spatual and run along edges to loosen crust. Let cool for 30 minutes. Remove sides of pan and cool for 1 hour. Cover and chill for a minimum of 4 hours. Garnish with fresh raspberries and mint. Makes 12-16 servings.


Notes/Suggestions:
- I suggest chocolate graham crackers for the crust.
- Go with the liqueur! The alcohol bakes out.
- I've only ever found 12 oz, just add a touch more sugar to keep it sweeter or not and have it a little tangier.
- Filling can look runny but it thickens up, so don't worry. :)
- Water bath keeps top of cheesecake from cracking and splitting and to even out the heat around the cheesecake. I find that in gas ovens you need a Lot more water. I try to put enough water in to come up to the crust height. I invariably have to add more water.

For those of you who do not know your liqueur flavor brand names, Razzmatazz is a German raspberry liqueur. :)