Cheese Cakes Recipes

Crumb Crust:
2 c Graham cracker crumbs 1/2 c Powdered sugar 1/2 c Butter; melted 1 ts Cinnamon
7-Up Filling
1 pk Unflavored gelatin 1 1/2 c 7-up; divided 1 sm Lemon pudding & pie filling, not instant 6 tb Sugar 2 Eggs; beaten 3/4 c Water 11 oz Cream cheese; softened

Strawberry Glaze:
1/2 c Strawberry jelly; melted Fresh strawberries or unsweetened frozen, thawed whole strawberries

Crust: Combine well the graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter. Press onto bottom and partway up sides of buttered 9″ springform pan; chill.

Filling:
Soften unflavored gelatin in 1/4 cup 7-up for 4 minutes. In a saucepan combine pie filling, sugar, beaten eggs and water. Blend well. Add 1-1/4 cup 7-up and bring just to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly; remove from heat. Stir in softened gelatin; cool 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of this warm mixture to softened cream cheese; mash together. Mix together with remaining 7-up mixture and stir until well blended. Turn into chilled crust and chill for at least 8 hours. Remove
from pan and add topping.

Topping: Brush top of chilled cheesecake with melted jelly. Arrange strawberried upright on cake and spoon any remaining melted jelly over them.

1 1/2 tb Butter (for pan)
1/4 c Fine breadcrumbs, toasted
1/4 c Finely grated cheddar cheese
6 oz Thinly sliced ham
1 1/2 lb Cream cheese, room temp.
3/4 lb Sharp cheddar, grated
1 c Cottage cheese
3/4 c Chopped green onion
4 Eggs
3 tb Jalapeno pepper*
2 tb Milk
1 Garlic clove, halved .
*seeded and finely chopped.

Preheat oven to 325. Butter 9″ springform pan. Mix breadcrumbs and 1/4 cup cheddar. Sprinkle mixture into pan, turning to coat. Refrigerate. Dice about half of ham; reserve remaining slices. Mix diced ham with remaining ingredients in blender or processor until smooth. Pour slightly more than half of filling into prepared pan. Top with reserved ham slices in even layer. Cover with remaining filling. Set pan on baking sheet. Bake 1 1/4 hours. Turn oven off and cool cheesecake about 1 hour with door ajar. Transfer cheesecake to rack. Remove sides of pan. Cool to room temperature before serving.

Shortbread Crust
1 1/2 c Flour
1/2 c Finely ground pecans
1/3 c Sugar
1 lg Egg, separated
1/2 c Butter, softened

Cranberry Glaze Filling
1 cn Whole berry cranberry- sauce OR 2 cups cranberry orange relish
2 tb Sugar
1 tb Cornstarch
1 tb Grated lemon zest
1 tb Lemon juice

White Chocolate Filling
1 1/2 c Fresh orange juice
1-3 Inch x 1 inch piece- of orange peel (orange part only)
4 8 oz pkgs cream cheese
2/3 c Sugar
1 tb Grated orange zest
2 tb Cranberry Liqueur (such- as Crantasia Schnapps)
8 oz White chocolate, melted
4 Eggs
Candied Orange Topping
4 c Water
2 c Sugar
3 Seedless oranges (unpeeled)- cut into paper-thin slices
Garnish
Whipped Cream

Shortbread Crust:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Working on a large flat surface, such as a pastry board, place flour, pecans, and sugar in the center of the surface and mix together. Form a small depression or well in the center of the mound. Add the egg yolk and the softened butter to the well, then blend these with the dry mixture. Mix the ingredients thoroughly using your hands — there is no substitute for warm hands. Shape the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 10 minutes. Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4-inch. You should have a circle of about 11 inches in diameter. For best results, roll out your dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper, then peel away the paper and cut the crust in a 9 inch circle. Place the circle inside a 9 inch springform pan. Prick the crust several times with a fork to keep the crust from puffing up during the baking. Place the springform pan in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until light brown. Allow to cool. Using the leftover dough, line the sides of the springform pan. Press the dough against the sides of the pan, smoothing it so as to have a continuous layer of crust all the way around the sides of the pan. Make sure that the side crust meets the bottom crust all the way around. Brush the reserved egg white onto the shell, covering the bottom and sides. This will seal the dough and keep it from becoming soggy. Set aside until ready to use.

Cranberry Glaze Filling:

Mix the sugar and cornstarch together in a small saucepan. Stir in the cranberry sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice. Set aside to cool slightly.
White Chocolate Filling: Reset the oven to 350 degrees F. Boil the orange juice and piece of orange peel in a heavy medium saucepan until the juice is reduced to 3 Tbsp - about 12 minutes. Remove and discard the strip of orange peel and set aside the reduced orange juice. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, grated orange zest, Crantasia, and reduced orange juice until smooth. Beat in the melted white chocolate and then the eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined. Pour the cranberry glaze filling into the prepared crust, spreading evenly. Pour the white chocolate filling over the cranberry layer and bake about 50 minutes (the top will be dry and the sides puffed slightly - the center will not be set). Move cheesecake to a wire rack and cool completely to room temperature. Chill in the refrigerator overnight.

Candied Oranges Topping:

Cover a wire rack with waxed paper. Set aside. Combine the water and sugar in a heavy shallow wide skillet. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes longer. Add the orange slices 1 at a time and adjust the heat so that the syrup bubbles only around the edges of the pan. Cook the oranges for one hour. Turn over the top layer of oranges and cook until the oranges are translucent and the orange peels tender, about another one hour longer. Lift and drain each orange slice out of the syrup, and arrange the slices in a single layer on the prepared rack. Let dry 1 hour. Boil the orange-sugar syrup until thick, about 6 minutes. Loosen and remove the sides of the springform pan. Set the cheesecake on a serving dish. Overlap the candied orange slices around the top of the cheesecake. Reheat the orange syrup, if necessary, and brush over the orange slices. Drizzle any remainder over each serving.

Garnish: whipped cream.

NOTE: You may substitute grapefruits for the oranges in the Candied Oranges Topping if you prefer.