Cheese cake

                                                                     
                                                                      Cheese Cake

Kristine’s Cheesecake

This is a versatile recipe that always tastes great!  Do not use low-fat cream cheese.  Enjoy!!!

Crust

• 3/4 c. coarsely ground walnuts or almonds
• 1 1/4 c. graham crackers or granola
• 1/4 butter, melted
• ¼ cup sugar 
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon (opt.)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Put nuts & crackers into food processor and process till fine crumbs.  Add butter and sugar, mix well.  Press  into the bottom and up the sides (going as far up as you can with what you have) of a 10 inch springform pan.  
3. Bake in pre-heated oven for about 12 minutes or until the crust begins to take on a little color and it seems set.  
4. Remove from the oven and set aside. 

Filling

• 1 1/4 c. sugar
• 4 packages cream cheese (8 oz. packages)
• 1 1/4 c. heavy whipping cream (heavy cream)
• 1 ¼ c. sour cream
• 4 eggs
• 11/2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• zest of one small-medium lemon
• 4 tbsp. flour

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. and place your springform pan with the prepared crust onto a cookie sheet.  This will help with transferring the cake in and out of the oven.
2. Beat together the sugar and the cream cheese until the mixture is well combined.  Add the heavy cream and the sour cream.  Stir to combine. 
3. Using a mixer, on the lowest speed possible, beat in the eggs one at a time.  Add the lemon juice, zest, vanilla and flour.  Beat until just combined.  Be careful not to over beat the filling! 
4. Pour the filling into the crust.  Give it a good shake to get any air bubbles out of the filling.  Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 20 minutes.  Then turn off oven. Keep the oven door closed and allow the cheesecake to rest in the oven for another hour.  
5. Crack open the oven door and allow cheesecake to cool completely inside oven. Once the cheesecake is cooled, remove from oven and run a butter knife around the edges of the pan to loosen the cheesecake from the mold. 
6. Remove the side of the springform pan and slide the cheesecake off the bottom plate if you are able (if it doesn't want to budge, that's okay.  Serve it on the plate, no problems). 
7. Top the cheesecake with the Blackberry and Ginger Spiced Jam and put in the refrigerator to chill overnight.

Options

Chocolate Swirl: Add ¼ cup cocoa and ¼ cup extra sugar to crust.  Make filling without lemon juice.  Divide filling in half.  Pour vanilla half into pan.  Melt 1 cup semisweet chocolate with 2 T. milk and add to remaining half.  Pour in swirls into pan.  Use a knife and swirl the two parts together.  Add 1 cup mini chips if desired.

Lemon:   Add zest of one lemon and a few drops of lemon essential oil to filling.