Recipe # 3 - Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake with Gingersnap Crust and Blueberry Sauce

   My sister's 20th Birthday was just last week and she requested a lemon dessert. So I decided to make a cheesecake as she LOVES baked cheesecakes. So I thought that it would be fun to take this recipe and add a type of berry. We just got a lot of blueberries so I decided to swirl some blueberry sauce into the cheesecake as well as have a blueberry sauce to garnish. Since the cheesecake in quite plain I thought it a great idea.

   One thing that I have never figured out is how to have a cheesecake that does not crack. Well one that is in a springform pan. I know that is is easier to make them thin and then they won't crack as easily, I have also heard that if you over-whip them they crack. And if you put them in a water bath it is less likely to happen. I haven't tried to many of these... maybe thats my problem :) I was going to put mine in a water bath yesterday as it suggests in the recipe but I was using a flower shaped pan with a removable bottom, so I didn't want the water to come through to the cake as it wasn't sealed properly. Well it still worked out, just a few cracks :)

Here is the recipe:

Serves 16


2 c. ground gingersnap cookies
6 T. butter, melted
5-8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
2 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt
7 large eggs
3 c. sour cream
2 T. finely grated lemon peel
2 T. fresh lemon juice
lemon leaves (optional)


Blueberry Sauce:

About 2 cups fresh blueberries
1 cup frozen
about 3ish T. sugar (to taste)
2 T. cornstarch
3/4 c. water

To make the blueberry sauce, put all the blueberries into a medium sized pot on med-low heat. Stir every once in a while to make sure it is not burning on. Once the blueberries start to get warm and release juices, squish some of the berries with either a potato masher or pastry blender. Stir some more until they get warmer with more liquid. Add sugar and stir. Once the sugar has melted mix the cornstarch with the water in a separate bowl, get all the clumps out. Pour into the blueberry mixture and stir until it starts to thicken. Let boil and take off heat. Take about 2/3's of the mixture and blend it so there are no chunks left. Set aside to cool. Place the blueberry sauce with the blueberries in it, in the fridge. Once the cheesecake is made and in the pan, use the smooth blueberry sauce and scoop about 6 tablespoons (or how much you prefer) on to different places on the cheesecake. Then take a knife and swirl it into the cheesecake, then follow the baking directions.

Preheat oven to 350*. Stir cookie crumbs and melted butter in medium bowl until evenly moistened. Press crumb mixture onto bottom (not sides) of 9 inch-diameter springform pan with 3-inch-high sides. Bake crust until deep golden, about 12 minutes. Cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 325*.

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth and fluffy. Gradually mix in the sugar, then salt. Beat in eggs 1 at a time. Beat in sour cream, lemon peel, and lemon juice. Pour filling into crust. Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Pour enough water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan.

Bake cake until filling is slightly puffed and moves only slightly when the pan is shaken gently, about 1 hour 25 minutes. Remove cake pan from water bath. Cool cake in pan on rack for 2 hours. Chill uncovered until cold; cover and keep chilled at least 1 day up to 2 days.

Cut around pan sides to loosen cake; remove pan sides. Place cake on platter. Garnish with lemon leaves if desired. Cut cake into slices and pour some blueberry sauce over each person portion.

Enjoy!