White Chocolate-Raspberry Cheesecake

Step 1

Stir together the raspberries, water, sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan; bring to a boil and cook until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Strain with a mesh strainer, discard the seeds. Set aside.

Step 2

Preheat oven to 325°F (162°C). Stir together the cookie crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar and butter in a bowl. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. (I used Oreo cookies, put the cookies inside a Ziploc bag and smashed with the bottom of a small pan.)

Step 3

Melt white chocolate chips with half-and-half in a metal bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until smooth.

Step 4

Gently beat together cream cheese and remaining 1/2 cup sugar with an electric mixer at low speed until smooth. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in cornstarch, vanilla extract and white chocolate mixture. Mix well, but do not over mix. Pour half of batter over crust and drizzle with 3 tablespoons sauce on top. Add remaining batter, and spoon 3 tablespoons sauce on top. Swirl sauce on batter with a knife tip or a bamboo skewer to create the marbling effect.

Step 5

Bake until center jiggles slightly and edges are puffed, 40-45 minutes. Cool at room temperature, then cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours, or best overnight, before removing from pan. Top the cheesecake with the remaining sauce and fresh raspberries. Slice and serve cold.