Strawberry Lemon Cheesecake

I'm always looking for tasty ways to use the lemon juice I save from my Meyer lemon tree. Here is the strawberry lemon cheesecake I said I'd make last week. Keep in mind I made this off the top of my head, so I was pleasantly surprised that it turned out so well. My friend Vicki and her husband were over, as well as neighbor Dean so they served as my guinea pigs. Dean couldn't get enough of the crust and I'm happy to report that all the plates were emptied. One thing I would do differently next time is let it sit in the fridge overnight before serving. I thought it tasted even better the next day.

So let's get started. The first thing to do is preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

For the crust you'll need: 16 gingersnap cookies (I don't know if they come in different sizes so the ones I used are 1 1/2" across); 6 oz pkg whole almonds; 2 T lemon juice; 1/4 C flour; 1/2 C butter (melted).

Crush the gingersnaps and almonds to a powder. My blender did a great job with that. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Press the mixture into the bottom of a springform pan.

Bake for twenty minutes, let cool (I "speed cool" in the freezer).

Now for the topping. You'll need: 24 oz cream cheese, softened; 2 whole eggs; 1/2 C lemon juice; 1/2 C sugar; 1/2 C mashed strawberries. For the strawberries I took one basket of washed and hulled fresh strawberries and used my stick blender to mash them up. It made about one cup. Save the other 1/2 cup for later on.

Mix all that stuff up really well. Then pour over the cooled crust.

Bake in the 350 degree oven for one hour. Again, let it cool completely (again, I cheated).

Now for the topping. You'll need: the other 1/2 C mashed strawberries; 1/2 C orange juice; 1/4 C sugar; 1/4 C lemon juice; 1 envelope gelatin; approx 1 basket fresh strawberries, washed and hulled.

Figure out some way you want to place the fresh strawberries on top of the cake. I'm not all that creative in that way, so I just halved and quartered them and shoved them on top.

Meanwhile, put the other stuff in a saucepan. The gelatin should be carefully sprinkled over the top. Let it soak in for a minute before stirring to prevent lumps. Or you could just use a whisk I guess. Anyway, then bring it all to a boil, stirring often. Let it boil for about five minutes and then remove from the heat.

Carefully spoon the gelatin sauce over the strawberries. Put the cake in the fridge to give it a chance to set up. It's better the next day because the strawberries and lemon flavors have a chance to develop.

Whipped cream on top hides a multitude of ugliness, and sure doesn't hurt the taste!

Strawberry Lemon Cheesecake

For the crust:

• 16 1 1/2" gingersnaps
• 6 oz bag whole almonds
• 2 T lemon juice
• 1/4 C flour
• 1/2 C butter, melted

Crush gingersnaps and almonds in a blender so there are no large chunks. Add lemon juice, flour, and butter and mix well. Press into the bottom of a springform pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Cool completely.

For the cake:

• 24 oz cream cheese, softened
• 2 whole eggs
• 1/2 C lemon juice
• 1/2 C sugar
• 1/2 C mashed strawberries

Mix all ingredients well. Pour on top of the cooled crust in the springform pan. Bake at 350 for one hour.

For the topping:

• enough cleaned and hulled fresh strawberries to cover the top of the cake
• 1/2 C mashed strawberries
• 1/2 C orange juice
• 1/4 C sugar
• 1/4 C lemon juice
• 1 envelope gelatin

Arrange the strawberries on top of the cake. Place everything else but the gelatin in a saucepan. Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Sprinkle the gelatin on top and let it sit for about a minute. Then bring the mixture to a boil. Let it boil for about five minutes, then carefully spoon over the strawberries. Put in fridge over night and serve with whipped cream on top!