Cheesecake with strawberry topping*

Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 tablespoon sugar

1 stick butter, melted

Cheesecake:

1 1/2 pounds cream cheese room temperature ( 3- 8oz packages)

1 pint (16 oz) sour cream

1 cup sugar

zest of 1 lemon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 large eggs

Strawberry topping:

1 pint strawberries, sliced

2 tablespoons sugar

juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with a little cold water

OK, I know what you’re thinking. Stop thinking it! It’s not too hard…. I promise you!! First thing first preheat your oven to 325*F. While that is preheating make the crust. In a bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Combine until the crumbs are all covered in the butter. In a spring form pan put the graham cracker crumbs on the bottom and smash down to make it compact. Put in the refrigerator while you make the filling. In a bowl with an electric mixer mix together the cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar until smooth. Add to that lemon zest, vanilla extract, and eggs. Mix together until all incorporated. Pour the batter into the spring form pan. Around the bottom of the pan, take foil and wrap around the bottom. To ensure that your cheesecake is cooked evenly, you want to bake it in a water bath. If you have a larger, deep pan use that or if you have a roaster pan even better! Put your cheesecake in the pan and add water to the pan. Put the cheesecake in the water bath into the oven and let cook for 45 minutes. Take out of the water bath and let cool. Don’t worry.. it will still look jiggly in the middle but it will set up trust me! Let cool for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight. When you’re almost ready to eat this delicious cheesecake, it’s time to make the topping! In a saucepan combine the strawberries, sugar, and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Once it has come to a boil, add the cornstarch. BUT you can’t just add cornstarch to the hot liquid because it will make lumps. So to avoid the lumps, you need to add a little bit of cold water to the cornstarch to dissolve it, then add it to the hot liquid. Let cook for about 5 minutes and let cool. After it cools you can spoon it on the top or serve it alongside as a sauce. Your choice! Either way… it’s delicious. Enjoy!!