| Strawberry-Strawberry Cheesecake Crust 1 10-ounce package shortbread cookies (such as Lorna Doone) 5 T unsalted butter, melted Filling 10 oz. frozen unsweetened strawberries (about 2 3/4 cups), thawed, juices reserved 3 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened 1 cup sugar 2 T all purpose flour 3 large eggs 1 T fresh lemon juice 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1/2 tsp. almond extract Topping 1/3 cup strawberry or currant jelly 3 1-pint baskets fresh strawberries, hulled, halved lengthwise For crust: Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 9-inch springform pan. Grind cookies in processor to coarse crumbs. Add butter and blend until crumbs are evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture over bottom and 1 inch up sides of prepared pan. Bake crust until just golden, about 8 minutes. Set aside. |
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| For filling: Puree thawed strawberries and juices in processor until smooth. Measure 3/4 cup puree (reserve any remaining puree for another use). Without washing the bowl, add cream cheese and sugar to processor. Blend until smooth. Pulse to blend in flour. Add eggs and process until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Add 3/4 cup strawberry puree, lemon juice, vanilla, and almond extracts, process until well blended. Transfer filling to prepared crust. |
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| Bake until center is softly set and edges begin to color, puff and crack, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Place hot cheesecake on rack. Refrigerate uncovered on rack until cold, at least 4 hours. Cover and keep refrigerated. For topping: Using small knife, cut around pan sides to loosen cake, remove pan sides. Stir jelly in heavy saucepan over low heat until melted. Arrange berry halves on the top of cheesecake in concentric circles, brush with warm jelly to glaze. Chill at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours. Makes 12 servings. |
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