Email to Cat      

Raspberry Cheesecake Squares

Source of Recipe


From "Invitation to Dinner" by Abigail Kirsch



List of Ingredients



• -- The Pastry --
  
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
  
• ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
  
• ½ cup granulated sugar
  
• ½ pound sweet butter, cut into ½-inch dice
  
• 1½ cups walnuts
  
• .
  
• -- The Filling --
  
• 1½ pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
  
• ¾ cup plus 1 Tbsp sugar
  
• 3 large eggs
  
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
  
• 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract
  
• ¾ tsp almond extract
  
• 1 cup seedless raspberry jam
  
• .
  
• 10 lemon leaves
  
• 1 pint fresh raspberries
  






Instructions



1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
   
   To make the pastry:
   Put the flour, sugars, butter and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the knife blade and pulse 8 to 10 times, until the ingredients resemble coarse cornmeal and remain crumbly. (Do not overprocess.) Set aside 1½ cups of the crumbs. Place the remaining crumbs in the middle of a 15x10x1-inch baking sheet. Press the mixture with your fingertips until it evenly covers the bottom of the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Set aside at room temperature while you make the filling.
   
   
2. Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, zest and lime juice, and vanilla and almond extracts until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
   
   
3. Spread the raspberry jam over the cooled pastry shell. Pour the cream cheese filling evenly over the jam, and sprinkle with the 1½ cups reserved pastry crumbs. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool the cheesecake to room temperature. Cut the cake into 1½- x 1½-inch squares. Arrange the squares on silver trays or in flat baskets, garnished with the lemon leaves and clusters of fresh raspberries.
   
   Makes about 65 squares.