Raspberry Cheesecake

In a small bowl, combine:

1 & 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs
2 tbsp sugar
1/4 cup melted butter

Press into the bottom of a lightly greased 9 or 10 inch springform pan. (Grease bottom only!) Alternatively you can line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper which will help to release the cheesecake from the pan.

Cream together:

3 eight ounce packages ounces cream cheese
1 cup sugar

Add, one at a time

3 eggs

beating well after each addition. Add

3 tsp vanilla extract

Finally blend in

1 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup milk

Pour over the prepared base and bake in a bain marie at 325 degrees F for 50 minutes to an hour. The cheesecake should just be beginning to lightly brown at the edges (although it need not brown at all to be done) and the surface of the cheesecake should lose any shine when the cake is properly baked. It can still be slightly wobbly just at the center at this point.

Remove the cake from the oven and run a sharp knife completely around the edge of the pan. This will allow for the cheesecake to shrink as it cools and hopefully not crack (but who cares if it does? I am never bothered by a crack or two in the surface) Allow the cheesecake to cool thoroughly on a wire rack at room temperature. (NOT in the fridge).

Top with fresh raspberries or raspberry compote and a drizzle of chocolate ganache. Another serving suggestion is to use fresh raspberries and a raspberry sauce that can be made the same way as the raspberry compote except prepared to a thinner consistency and run it through a metal sieve to remove the seeds. The sauce can then be poured over the raspberries before drizzling the ganache as shown in the photo below.

Ganache glaze:

In a heavy bottomed pot, scald but do not boil

¼ cup whipping cream.

Then melt in on low heat

¾ cup semisweet chocolate chips

Pour over cooled cake or to create Ganache lace, cool slightly and spoon into piping bag fitted with a number 3 tip. Pipe over the entire cake in a circular, overlapping swirling pattern, repeating coverage all over the cake until all Ganache glaze is used. Garnish with fresh raspberries.

Raspberry Compote

2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries
½ cup sugar
¼ cup cold water
1 ½ tsp corn starch

Bring the raspberries and sugar to a gentle boil. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water and add to the boiling raspberries stirring constantly until thickened. Simmer for an additional minute, remove from heat and allow the compote to cool to room temperature.