Cranberry Cheesecake

 

I hope you all had a lovely family and food-filled Thanksgiving! My Mom's table was a heavily laden carb fest of deliciousness; broccoli/velveeta casserole, streusel-stuffed baked sweet potatoes, sausage stuffing, potato-rutabaga-cheese casserole, buttermilk biscuits, cranberry sauce, and of course a giant turkey. We gobbled gobbled our way through that and then for dessert we had this cheesecake, pumpkin pie, and fruitcake. The cheesecake was scrumptious and so gorgeous with the vibrant cranberry sauce on top! And there couldn't be a more fitting topping than cranberry sauce at this time of the year. It baked up light but dense with the creamiest consistency I've ever tasted in a cheesecake. There's no excuse for not making your own cranberry sauce - it's so simple and so much fresher tasting and healthier than the high-fructose canned variety. This is perfect to bring to a holiday party or potluck. And I think it will find it's way onto our Christmas table.

Cranberry Cheesecake

(adapted from Good Old Food by Irena Chalmers)

1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1 and 1/2 pounds Cream Cheese

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs, at room temperature

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1/2 teaspoon Almond Extract

1 and 1/2 cups Sour Cream, at room temperature

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan.

2. Combine the graham cracker crumbs and the melted butter in a small bowl. Press the mixture evenly onto the bottom of the springform pan.

3. Put the cream cheese in a large bowl and beat until smooth. Beat in the sugar and the eggs, scraping the sides of the bowl frequently. Beat in the vanilla and almond extracts and sour cream.

4. Pour the mixture into the crust and bake* for 55-60 minutes until cheesecake is puffed and firm to the touch. Remove from oven and run a thin knife around the edges to loosen it from the pan. Let cool completely and chill for several hours or overnight before serving.

5. Serve with cranberry sauce and whip cream.

*I recommend cooking this in a bain marie to prevent cracking. Put the uncooked cheesecake/pan into a larger baking pan, put on oven rack and fill halfway up sides of springform pan with boiling water. Bake as directed.

Cranberry Sauce

1 cup water

3/4 cup sugar

12 ounces fresh Cranberries

To flavor add one or a combo:

orange zest, lemon zest, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg

In a medium sauce pan dissolve the sugar in the water over medium heat. Add cranberries and continue to cook, stirring, carefully, the cranberries will pop, about five - seven minutes. Add your flavoring element. Combine well. Remove from heat. Cool. Store in fridge.

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Timestamp: 2009-12-01 18:19:47 UTC

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Thanks to everyone for entering my giveaways this month!




I took a small and much-needed break from blogging this weekend but I'll be by to visit you all soon!