Say Cheese!

Cheesecake that is!

I made this cheesecake for my birthday.

I'm sharing the recipe...cause I think everyone should make this Cheesecake!

 Glorious, Wonderful, Creamy, Delicious Cheesecake!

(if you are lactose intolerant, beware! or take a chance and live on the wild side....lol)

Puckett's Firecracker Cheesecake

(you can also find this recipe at relish.com in the June issue)

Blueberry Sauce:

1 cup blueberries

3 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp lemon juice (fresh is always better!)

Crust:

(just so you know, I didn't make a crust as I didn't have enough gluten free graham crackers on hand, so my cheese cake was crustless and it turned out wonderfully!)

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1/3 cup sugar

5 Tbsp butter, melted

Filling:

3 pounds cream cheese (6 bricks and I use Philly cream cheese...it is gluten free)

1 1/3 cups sugar

3 whole eggs

2 egg yolks

1/3 cup heavy cream

Strawberries, raspberries and blueberries for garnish

To prepare sauce, combine blueberries, sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until blueberries begin to release their juices. Mash some of the blueberries against the side of the pan. Let cool. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Wrap the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with foil. To prepare crust, combine all ingredients and press into the bottom of pan. To prepare the filling, beat cream cheese with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Add sugar and beat until well combined. Combine eggs and egg yolks in small bowl. Beat lightly. Slowly add eggs to cream cheese mixture while beating. Add heavy cream and beat, scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally, until smooth. Pour one-quarter of the batter into another bowl. Stir in blueberry sauce. Pour half of the unflavored batter over crust. Pour fruit-flavored batter on top. Swirl with a spoon or knife. Top with remaining unflavored batter. Swirl again. Place Springform pan in a larger baking pan. Place on the center rack of oven. Pour in hot water to depth of 1inch. Bake 3 hours. Remove from oven. Let cool. Refrigerate at least 8 hours before serving. Garnish with strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. Serves 20.

(Cooking cheesecake in a water bath (bain maire) prevents uneven baking and over-heating. A stand mixer will come in handy to beat the cream cheese).

You can use any type of fruit for this recipe!

Have fun, experiment and most of all....Happy Eating!