Cheesecake Supreme

I hope everyone had a great Mother's day. I know mine was fabulous. I didn't have to change any poopy diapers and my hubby made me steak and baked potatoes for dinner. He also baked me a this fabulous cheesecake out of the Better Homes and Gardens New Baking Book.  It was kind of a make up cheesecake. He baked the chocolate swirl version for me on my birthday and it didn't turn out quite right (over mixed, dense and overcooked, but it was still very delicious). This time he followed the directions perfectly and it was so rich and creamy and tasted 10 times better.

Better Homes and Gardens Cheesecake Supreme

• 1-3/4 cups  finely crushed graham crackers
• 1/4  cup  finely chopped walnuts
• 1/2 teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup  butter, melted
• 3 8-ounce packages  cream cheese
• 1 cup  sugar
• 2 tablespoons  all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon  vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon  finely shredded lemon peel (optional)
• 2 eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 cup  milk

1. For crust, in a medium mixing bowl stir together crushed graham crackers, walnuts, and cinnamon. Stir in butter. If desired, reserve 1/4 cup for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture onto bottom and about 2 inches up sides of an 8- or 9-inch springform pan; set aside.

2. For filling, soften cream cheese. In a large mixing bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, flour, vanilla, and lemon peel (if using); beat with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Add whole eggs and egg yolk all at once, beating on low speed just until combined (do not overbeat). Stir in milk.

3. Pour filling into crust-lined pan. If desired, top with reserved crumbs. Place on a shallow baking pan. Bake in a 375 degree F oven for 45 to 50 minutes for 8-inch pan, 35 to 40 minutes for 9-inch pan, or until center appears nearly set when shaken gently.

4. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Using a sharp, thin bladed knife to loosen the crust from the sides of the pan; cool for 30 minutes more. Remove the sides of the pan; cool cheesecake completely. Cover and chill at least 4 hours before serving.

Chocolate Swirl Variation: Prepare Cheesecake as directed in original recipe, except omit lemon peel. Melt 2 ounces of semisweet chocolate. Stir the melted chocolate into half of the filling. Pour the chocolate filling into the crust lined pan; carefully pour plain filling on top of chocolate filling. Use a spatula to gently swirl fillings.
* We made a chocolate crust too. Replace the graham crackers with chocolate graham crackers and leave out the nuts and cinnamon.

Raspberry Sauce: ( it makes a lot and can be used as a filling. Pour half of the cheesecake batter in crust lined pan. Pour 3/4 cup raspberry sauce over cheese mixture in pan. Carefully spoon remaining cheesecake batter over raspberry sauce.)

• 2 1/2 cups fresh or lighly sweetend frozen (thawed) red raspberries.
• 2/3 cup of sugar 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice.

In a blender container blend the 2 1/2 cups raspberries until smooth. Press through a sieve to remove seeds. (I don't have a sieve so I skipped this step. I don't mind the seeds. However, I didn't bake a layer of sauce into the cheesecake and probably would have wanted to remove the seeds if I did.) Add water to sieved raspberries, if necessary to equal 1 cup. Combine 2/3 cup sugar and corn starch in a small sauce pan; Stir in Sieved raspberries. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes more. Stir in lemon juice. Set aside 3/4 cup of sauce if you are planning on baking a layer into the cheesecake. Cover remaining sauce and chill until serving time.