Strawberry cheesecake

Strawberry cheesecake

By now you should all be seeing fresh strawberries, and some lettuce, spinach and other greens in your gardens. Here is a treat for you. This is a recipe handed down from my grandmother.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1¼ hours

1 lb cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla

1 lb ricotta cheese

4 Tbsp cornstarch

1½ cups sugar

5 beaten eggs

1 pt sour cream*

Cream together cheeses. Add sugar and mix. Add five beaten eggs and vanilla. Add cornstarch one Tbsp at a time. Fold in sour cream. Pour into greased springform pan. Bake. Cool in pan.

n For those of you who would like to cut the fat down a little you can substitute yogurt for the sour cream. It changes the texture of the cake a little, but doesn’t hurt the flavor.

If you must have a graham cracker crust you can make one from the recipe that follows. Press it into the bottom and sides of the pan before baking.

I also have a strawberry glaze to put on the top. I prefer my cheesecake naked with just the strawberry topping!

Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

¼ cup sugar

½ cup butter

Combine all ingredients until blended well. Press onto bottom and sides of the spring pan. Chill before filling with cheesecake batter.

Glaze:

2 cups fresh strawberries

½ cup sugar

½ cup water

2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp cornstarch

¼ cup water

After the cheesecake has been cooled in the refrigerator, mash one cup of berries. Place in a saucepan with sugar, half a cup of water, and lemon juice; bring to boil. Mix cornstarch and one quarter cup water; slowly add to hot fruit mix. Boil about two minutes to thicken, cool and then strain.

Top cheesecake with remaining berries, then pour glaze over the top. Chill two hours before serving.

— Barbara Rexford