Ultimate Cheesecake with Raspberry Sauce

Sauce:

Place ½ the berries in a blender (if frozen, allow to thaw completely - do not drain) and blend until smooth. Press mixture through fine mesh into a small saucepan and discard seeds. Over medium/low heat, add sugar to mixture and stir until dissolved. In a separate small bowl mix together cornstarch and liqueur and add to raspberry mixture in saucepan. Keep over heat and stir until sauce thickens and becomes clear. Remove from heat and allow to cool. When cool, add remaining berries.

Crust: (Oven @ 350)

Grease and flour a 9" spring-form pan (or use Baker’s Joy). Mix melted butter, sugar, and graham cracker crumbs together. Use the back of a spoon to press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake for 8 minutes and let cool before adding filling.

Filling: (Oven @ 500, then 200)

Allow all cold ingredients to come up to room temperature. Beat cream cheese until broken down. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, lemon rind, orange rind, and vanilla. Add dry mixture to cream cheese a little at a time, mixing between additions (do not over beat). Add eggs and yolks one at a time, mixing between additions (do not over beat). Fold in heavy cream. Pour mixture into cooled pan with crust.

Bake @ 500 for 12 minutes.

Turn oven down to 200 and bake for 1 hour.

When done, turn off oven and crack open to allow the cheesecake to cool off inside the oven.

When cool, refrigerate overnight. Remove spring-form sides, and . . . ENJOY! (with or without sauce)