www.roanoke.com

2008.05.15

Take a gander at that lovely white chocolate cheesecake with strawberry swirl. It was prepared by none other than faithful Fridge Magnet reader Deb.

And unlike the rest of us, Deb actually thought to take a picture of the cake before digging into it. I probably would've sent in a picture of a half-gnawed piece!

Not only did Deb send the pic, she also snail mailed the recipe to me so I could share it with the rest of you! If you happen to have any fresh strawberries left over, this might be the perfect use for them.

Update: I just got four gorgeous food pics from blog reader Mandy. To see her swan eclairs, lemon-raspberry tartlets and more, head to the Fridge Magnet Flickr group.

White Chocolate Cheesecake with Strawberry Swirl

Sauce:
10 oz. fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
3 Tbsp. sugar
2 Tbsp. strawberry preserves
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 Tbsp. water
2 tsp. cornstarch

Crust:
7 chocolate wafer cookies, crumbled
3 whole graham crackers, crumbled
2 Tbsp. sugar
Pinch salt
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake:
8 oz. white chocolate, chopped
3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Sauce:
Process berries, sugar, preserves and lemon juice for the sauce in a food processor until smooth. Transfer to a saucepan and 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 and cover. Chill until cold.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees with rack in the center. Coat a 9-iinch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray.
Process cookies, crackers, sugar and salt for crust in a food processor until fine. Add butter as the machine is running. Pat crumbs on bottom and up the sides of the pan.
Melt chocolate for the cheesecake over a double boiler and 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 the melted chocolate, vanilla and lemon juice. Pour batter into prepared pan, then drizze with 1/4 cup of the strawberry sauce.
Swirl sauce into batter, creating a marbled pattern. Place pan on a baking sheet and bake until edges are set and puffed but center is still jiggly, about 60 to 80 minutes. Do not overbake.
Turn off oven, crack door open with a wooden spoon and cool cake inside the oven for 1 hour.
Remove from oven and cool completely. Cover cake with a towel and chill overnight.
Slice cheesecake and serve with the remaining strawberry sauce.

Source: Cuisine at Home