It’s time to talk cheesecake. And not the provocative, pin-up kind. Nope, cheesecake, it turns out, has quite the place in ancient history. In fact, recipes for cheesecake have been written since the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans.
A man by the name of Aegimius is rumored to have penned the first treatise on cheesecake and also to have lived for two-hundred years. Whether the fondness Aegimius had for cheesecake was connected to the longevity of his life is unclear, but trust me, a dessert that deserves to have a formal discourse written about it is definitely worth making.
Cheesecake comes in many varieties: baked and unbaked, crusted and crustless. It has even been baked in coals and inside a bread-like casing. The more modern baked variety, like the kind that follows below, uses a cream cheese that dates back to the mid-1800’s. There seems to be some debate as to whether the cheese-making technique emerged from Normandy or New York. Either way, it’s hard to believe that a dessert this good has been around for fewer than two hundred years.
In this recipe, the tartness of the raspberries is a perfect complement to the richness of the cream cheese and makes a rich and lovely spring dessert. Drizzled with a raspberry coulis and topped with soft white chocolate shavings, this classic baked cheesecake recipe is sure to set your heart a-beating.
Raspberry Cheesecake Swirl
1 1/2 Cups Raspberries, fresh or frozen
1 3/4 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
1 Tbsp Sugar
1/2 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Cup Butter, melted
3 8-ounce packages Light Cream Cheese
1 Cup Sugar
2 Tbsp Flour
2 Tsp Vanilla
1/4 Cup Skim Milk
3 Slightly Beaten Eggs
1 cup Callebaut White Chocolate, shaved with a paring knife.
1. Thaw raspberries, if frozen. Heat oven to 375° F. Wrap the bottom and sides of an 8- or 9-inch springform pan with tinfoil. For crust, in a bowl combine graham crackers, sugar and cinnamon. Stir in melted butter. Press mixture into bottom and sides (up 2 inches) of the springform pan. Place pan in oven and bake crust for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
2. Puree raspberries in a blender or food processor. Press through a fine mesh sieve to strain the sauce. Discard seeds and pulp, reserving the liquid.
3. For filling in a large mixing bowl beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Slowly add the sugar, flour, and vanilla, and mix until combined. Beat in the milk until smooth. Stir in eggs.
4. Pour nearly all of filling into the crust-lined pan, reserving a half-cup of the filling in the bowl. Drop 6-8 tablespoons of raspberry puree onto the top of the filling and swirl to make designs. Add the remaining filling and swirl again.
5. Place pan into the oven, and bake at 375° F for 40 – 45 minutes, or until a 2 1/2-inch area around the outside edge appears set when pan is shaken gently.
6. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Using a sharp knife, gently loosen the crust from the pan and cool for 30 minutes more. Remove the sides of the pan, and cool cheesecake completely on rack. Cover and chill at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight, before serving.
7. Before serving, sprinkle white chocolate shavings on the top of the cheesecake and drizzle with remaining raspberry sauce.
Serves 12-16 people
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