Buried Strawberry Cheesecake Food

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Place oven racks in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium-sized bowl, stir graham cracker crumbs together with sugar and melted butter until well incorporated and the mixture looks like damp sand. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, press crust into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
• In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix cream cheese 30 seconds 'til smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and add in granulated sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix again until incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again briefly.
• Crack eggs into a liquid measuring cup and using a fork, beat until well scrambled. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the eggs into the cream cheese mixture and stop stirring once the eggs have been incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer and scrape the sides and bottom again, ensuring the entire mixture is smooth. If there are a few small lumps, try to fold in using the rubber scraper.
• Once the batter is completely smooth and ready, tap the bowl on the counter for 30-45 seconds to remove as many air bubbles as possible. You should see them popping on the surface as you tap the bowl. Pour filling into the center of the graham cracker crust and gently smooth the top. It will be very full!
• Bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees. Reduce temperature to 250 degrees and continue cooking for 45 minutes more. Once this time has elapsed, turn the oven off and keep cheesecake inside for another 30 minutes for some carryover cooking without opening the oven door. Crack oven door to let cheesecake cool slowly for one hour before removing. At this point, cheesecake should be slightly warm. Bring cheesecake to room temperature on the counter (3-4 hours) before covering with plastic wrap and transferring to the fridge.
• Refrigerate until chilled completely (6 hours to overnight). Open springform pan and remove the collar.
• For the Strawberry Sauce, wash and slice 1 pound of strawberries and place into a small saucepan. Sprinkle in sugar and water. Heat over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook strawberries for 10 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Pour into a blender and blitz until completely smooth. Chill in the freezer for 10-15 minutes in a shallow dish.
• Wash and slice the remaining pound of strawberries and decorate the chilled cheesecake with them. (Pile them high!) Pour half of the strawberry sauce over top of the entire cheesecake.Cut into slices** and serve with remaining strawberry sauce.

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE WITH PRETZEL CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
• For the crust: Combine the pretzels, graham crackers, sugar, a pinch of salt and the melted butter in a large bowl. Press the crust into the bottom of a 13-by-9-inch clear glass baking dish. Set aside while you make the filling.
• For the filling: In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the softened cream cheese on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl and the beater often, until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the sour cream and sugar and continue to mix until combined, 1 to 2 minutes. With the mixer speed on low, add the eggs one at a time, thoroughly mixing after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Pour the filling over the crust and bake until the center is no longer jiggly, about 1 hour. Let the cheesecake sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, melt the strawberry preserves in a small saucepot over low heat. If you prefer no seeds, use a fine mesh sieve to strain it into another bowl. Pour the melted preserves over top of the cheesecake and smooth it out into an even layer. Let the cheesecake cool at room temperature for another 30 minutes to 1 hour, then slice into 24 squares while still warm. Refrigerate until chilled completely, at least 4 hours or up to overnight.

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and butter in a bowl. Press onto the bottom of an ungreased 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Place strawberries and cornstarch into a blender. Cover and puree until smooth. Pour strawberry sauce into a saucepan.
• Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil and stir until sauce is thick and shiny, about 2 minutes. Set aside 1/3 cup strawberry sauce; cool. Cover and refrigerate remaining sauce for serving.
• Beat cream cheese in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy; gradually beat in condensed milk. Mix in lemon juice and vanilla extract, then beat in eggs on low speed until just combined. Pour half of cream cheese mixture over crust; drop half of reserved strawberry sauce by 1/2 teaspoonfuls on cream cheese layer. Carefully spoon remaining cream cheese mixture over sauce; drop remaining strawberry sauce by 1/2 teaspoonfuls on top. Cut through top layer only with a knife to swirl strawberry sauce.
• Bake in preheated oven until center is almost set, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Serve reserved strawberry sauce with cheesecake. If the sauce it too thick, stir in water.

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Combine pecans, crumbs and butter. Press onto the bottom of a 10-in. springform pan. Set aside. , In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until blended. Spoon over crust. , Bake until filling is almost set, 45-50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 15 minutes. Meanwhile, for topping, combine sour cream, sugar and vanilla. Spread over cheesecake and return to oven for 5 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 1 hour. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled. , Several hours before serving, prepare glaze. In a saucepan, combine cornstarch and water until smooth. Add jelly and cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until jelly is melted and mixture has thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in liqueur and, if desired, food coloring. Cool to room temperature. , Just before serving, loosen and remove sides of springform pan. Arrange strawberries on top with pointed ends up. Spoon glaze over berries, allowing some to drip down sides of cake. Serve immediately.