Cheese Cake with Strawberry Glaze

Ironic, how I am posting a recipe for cheesecake among all these healthy-whole-food-smoothie posts. Well, too bad. ;) I owed Boromir a cheesecake to celebrate his return from the musical hinterlands of Nashville, and found a recipe I like even better than my old one! It's from Southern Sideboards, a cookbook from the Junior League of Jackson, Mississipi (The Help, anyone?!) Snooty, I know, but I like every recipe I've tried out of it. My favorite biscuit recipe is from it. I use it just as much as my ancient Betty Crocker, but it's better, in that Southern Sideboards doesn't shy away from using real, honest-to-goodness stuff like butter, sour cream, and cheese. (Betty Crocker uses too much Crisco for my taste.)

This is a not-too-sweet, lovely mouthful of smooth cream-cheese-cake with a hint of lemon. And strawberry. Mmm!

Cheese Cake with Strawberry Glaze

(from Southern Sideboards p.305 – Mrs. James Savage, Jr.)

COOKIE CRUST:

1 cup sifted flour

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon grated lemon rind

Scrapings of a small vanilla bean (omitted)

1 egg yolk, beaten

½ cup butter, softened

FILLING:

1 ¼ pounds cream cheese (I used 1 ½ lbs)

¾ cup sugar

1 ¼ Tablespoons flour

¾ teaspoon vanilla

¾ teaspoon grated orange rind (I used lemon)

2 Tablespoons sour cream

2 Tablespoons milk or cream (I used half-half)

4 egg yolks

STRAWBERRY GLAZE:

2 pints fresh strawberries, divided

¾ cup sugar

1 ½ Tablespoons cornstarch

Juice of ½ lemon

COOKIE CRUST: Mix the ingredients by hand. Pat into the bottom of a springform pan. Bake at 400°F oven for 10 minutes. Cool. FILLING: Cream cheese until softened. Beat in next 6 ingredients. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each. Pour into springform pan over crust. Bake at 500°F for 6 minutes; then reduce heat to 200°F and cook for 30 minutes more. Do not overcook. Cool and refrigerate. Leave in springform pan until chilled; then unmold. STRAWBERRY GLAZE: Pour 1 cup strawberries in blender. Blend on high. Place sugar and cornstarch in shallow pan; add strawberry purée slowly; then add lemon juice. Cook until thick. Do not overcook. Arrange whole or halved remaining strawberries on top of cake and pour glaze over all. Decorate with more strawberries or mint leaves. Serves 12.