Day 5

I realize that I have been a little sporadic lately, which isn't good since it's only day five, but I hope to have better luck this week since I should be home enough to actually write something. So if you have been following me so far, don't despair! And now, on to the feature presentation.

On Sunday night my husband and I were over at my parent's house, and my dad walks in with a big bowl of raspberries that he has just picked from the bushes out back. (Yes, you can grow raspberries in Colorado and yes, they are still producing in October.) "I think that these raspberries would be good in a cheesecake," Dad said while raising his eyebrows. I inherited a lot of things from my dad and his side of the family, and I think raising eyebrows to try to convince others of the brilliancy of your idea is one of them. I didn't need much convincing, but if I did I'm sure the eyebrow trick would have worked. You see, I love making cheesecake.

Ever since I was young I have loved making cheesecakes. I remember that it was the first thing that I wanted to conquer once I really started cooking and baking on my own. And I did. I am pretty sure that Raspberry Ribbon Cheesecake is the first one I tried, and to this day it is still my favorite. So, on Monday afternoon I was at my parent's house making a cheesecake. Ironically, I discovered recently that I don't actually enjoy eating cheesecake nearly so much as I enjoy making it, but that's alright. I can always find people who enjoy eating them much more than they enjoy making them, so it works out. I find great joy in cooking and baking, but there is something about beating the cream cheese and sugar until it is fluffy and stirring in the thick cream until the whole bowl is as smooth as silk that I particularly enjoy about cheesecake. And this particular cheesecake has a ribbon of rich red raspberry sauce in the middle of it and whole raspberries with more sauce on top. Did I mention the crust is made out of chocolate graham crackers? Oh yeah. That's what I'm talking about, dawg.

In case your mouth is watering like mine is, I have included the recipe from the Taste of Home website for your enjoyment. And, if you don't want to make it yourself, you might just be able to bribe me to do it for you : )

Raspberry Ribbon Cheesecake

Ingredients
2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
1/3 cup butter, melted
3 tablespoons sugar

RASPBERRY SAUCE:
2-1/2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons lemon juice

FILLING/TOPPING:
3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg whites
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 to 3 tablespoons orange juice
1-1/2 cups fresh or frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed

Directions
Combine the first three ingredients; press into bottom and 1-1/2 in. up sides of a greased 9 in. springform pan. Chill 1 hour or until firm.

In a blender, cover and process raspberries until pureed. Press through a sieve; discard seeds. Add water if necessary to measure 1 cup.
In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in raspberry juice; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla until smooth. Add egg whites; beat on low just until blended. Stir in cream.

Pour half into crust. Top with 3/4 cup raspberry sauce (cover and refrigerate remaining sauce). Carefully spoon remaining filling over sauce.

Bake at 375° for 35-40 minutes or until center is nearly set. Remove from oven; immediately run a knife around pan to loosen crust. Cool on wire rack 1 hour.

Refrigerate overnight. Add orange juice to chilled raspberry sauce; gently fold in raspberries. Spoon over cheesecake. Yield: 12-16 servings.