Strawberry Cheesecake

"Cheesecakes" are quite popular in Korea; however, their version of cheesecake is quite different from the standard American version. (I would say that a Korean "cheesecake" is merely a normal cake with cheese added to the cake batter - at least that's what I'd assume from taste taste and texture.) When I mentioned this to a Korean friend, she told me she'd like to try the American version - thus my quest for the best cheesecake began.

Now, I'm not a particular fan of cheesecake (and I've definitely never baked one.) However, I found this popular (and simple) recipe online and thought it looked do-able. The only negative was the fact that this recipe originally called for a 9" springform pan; since my oven best handles a smaller pan, I had to adjust the recipe for a 7" pan (which resulted in some rather odd measurements.) I would also advice adding more of the strawberry sauce directly to the batter before baking. The original recipe only calles for a thrid of the sauce to be added before baking; if I was making this again, I'd probably double that and only reserve the smaller portion for the final topping sauce.

Strawberry Cheesecake
(makes one 7" cheesecake)

1. cup cookie crumbs*
3 T. sugar
2 t. cinnamon
3½ T butter, melted
12 oz. frozen strawberries (sweetened)
2 t. cornstarch
16 oz. cream cheese
9 oz. sweeten condensed milk
2 T. plus 1 t. lemon juice
1¾ eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
2 t water

* The original recipe called for graham cracker crumbs, but those are not sold on my island. I used crisp butter cookies instead.

Combine the cookie crumbs, sugar, and cinnamon. Add the melted butter and press firmly into the bottom of a 7" springform pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. In a blender of food processor, puree the strawberries and cornstrach. Place in a saucepan and bring to a boil for 2 minutes or until thicked(stirring continuously.) Set aside a third of the strawberry mixture for use in the cheesecake; chill the rest for to serve as the topping. Whip the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Add the condensed milk and mix well. Mix in the lemon juice and vanilla. Gently fold the eggs into the mixture until well combined (don't overmix or the cake will likely crack during cooling.) Add ½ of the cheese mix to the top of your crumb crust. Add ½ of the strawberry mixture by ½ teaspoon drops. Gently add the rest of the cheese mixture and top with the remaining strawberries (using the ½ teaspoon again. Using a knife. Pull through the strawberry drops to create a heart pattern on the top of the cake. Bake at 300°F (148°C) for 45-50 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a metal rack. After 10 minutes, carefully run a sharp knife around the sides to loosen the cake. Allow to cool for an additional hour. Chill over night. Serve with remaining strawberry sauce, which can be thinned with the 2 t. water listed above.