White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake, anyone?

One of reasons we stole away to the beach last weekend was to celebrate our dear Mom's birthday. When I asked what sort of dessert the birthday lady might like, she answered with an emphatic 'Cheesecake!' and so I was off and running to find a recipe worthy of a 61st-year celebration.

I hit the jack-pot, folks, and so I share it with you. The original recipe (which I found on allrecipes.com; thank you allrecipes!!) called for chocolate cookie crumbs, but I'm an abstainer of chocolate, and also selfish, so I used vanilla cookies instead. Actually, I used Golden Oreos, filling and all; this was, in the end, far too rich, and the recipe below reflects what I'll do the next time I make it. And you'd better believe I'll make it again; how can a girl resist when her husband tells her it's the best she's ever made, and so delicious she could sell it? It's enough to give me a big head :)

White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake
2 cups vanilla wafer crumbs (or graham cracker crumbs)
1/3 - 1/2 cup butter, melted
3 Tbsp sugar
1 (10 ounce) package frozen raspberries
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup water
2 cups white chocolate chips
1/2 cup half & half
3 (8 ounces each) packages cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 325. In a medium bowl, mix crumbs, melted butter & 3 Tbsp sugar. Press into bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 8-10 minutes; cool. In medium saucepan, combine raspberries, 2 Tbsp sugar, cornstarch & water. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes or until sauce is thick. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer to remove seeds. Melt white chocolate with half & half over a double boiler, stirring ocassionally until smooth. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese & 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in white chocolate and vanilla. Pour half of the batter over crust. Spoon 3 Tbsp raspberry sauce over batter. Pour remaining batter into pan; spoon 3 Tbsp sauce over the top. Swirl batter with a knife to create a marbled effect. Bake 55-60 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cover with plastic wrap & refrigerate 8 hours before removing from springform. Serve with remaining raspberry sauce.

And now, a few more pictures of Seabrook. Really, if you're yearning for a picturesque, restful place to loll around with the ones you love, Seabrook is it.