Lemon Cheesecake a la Tinned Tomatoes

Yesterday was Tuesday and our weekly mother/daughter/movie/dinner night. It is so nice that "Little Burnt Toast" is home for the summer and we are able to enjoy an evening set aside each week for just the two of us. I get to spoil her and ply her with delicious foods and weekly experiments. She is my happy guinea pig and I am just happy!!!

Ruth from Ruth's Kitchen Experiments has a weekly blogging event out in the blogosphere where you can blog about a recipe that you have bookmarked to prepare sometime in the future. It can be from a cook book, food magazine, food blog, food website or anywhere at all. We all have recipes that are piling up on our counter tops and clogging up our computer files. Lets get these recipes out of the "wanna be" stage and into our kitchens and subsequently on the table for everyone to enjoy!!!!!!

I probably don't have to tell you of the ever expanding list of excellent recipes to try...we are probably all in the same boat. One recipe I have had on the files for some time is a Lemon Cheesecake that I saw posted at Holler's of Tinned Tomatoes . I have been holding onto this recipe and waiting for the warm weather...reread that as sweltering heat... of summer to give it a try. Unlike the baked cheesecake that we are more familiar with this dessert is unbaked which makes it perfect for these lazy, hazy days. Her original recipe with a blueberry and raspberry topping is here .

Strawberry season is in its infant stages, so, this is to be my first of many desserts made with local "100-Mile Diet" strawberries. That is why I opted for blueberries and strawberries for my seasonal topping. Hollers recipe for cheesecake is below in her own words. You could use any topping or fruits in season that you desire.

Thank you Holler!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Lemon Cheesecake with a Blueberry & Raspberry Topping**

Base

12 gingersnap biscuits (or graham crackers)
100g butter, melted
1 tsp clear honey (liquid)

Filling

600ml double cream, lightly whipped (whipping cream)
500g mascarpone cheese
juice of 2 lemons
zest of 2 lemons
2 T icing sugar

Fruit Topping

200g caster sugar (granular)
400g mixed frozen raspberries and blueberries
Juice 1/2 lemon

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Place the fruit, lemon juice and sugar in a pan and bring to the boil. Leave to simmer for a few minutes until starting to thicken. Set aside to cool.

Crush the biscuits in a bag with a rolling pin, sometimes you need a double layer of bag, so that it doesn't burst and make a right mess. Tip the biscuit crumbs into a mixing bowl and stir in the melted butter and honey. Press the mixture over the base of a loose-bottomed tin (about 20cm) and leave to set in the fridge while you make the filling.

Beat the cream and mascarpone in a bowl until smooth. Add the lemon juice and zest and icing sugar to the cheese, being sure not to mix it too much as it could split.

Smooth the mixture over the base, cool in the fridge until needed.

Remove the cheesecake, carefully from the tin and spoon over the fruit topping.

This cheesecake would be especially good with this sauce:


**Raspberry and Grand Marnier Sauce**

1 (12-oz) bag frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed, reserve juice
1/3 cup sugar
2 T orange-flavored liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)

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Drain raspberries, reserving juice. Puree berries with 1/3 cup sugar in processor. Press through a fine sieve into a medium bowl to remove seeds. Add just enough reserved juice and Grand Marnier to thin puree to sauce consistency. Cover and refrigerate. Chill.Yields 2 cups


You may also enjoy from the archives of More Than Burnt Toast :

Explosive Turtle Cheesecake
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Rhubarb Cheesecake
Coeur la Creme