Categories: Cakes
Ingredients
- 20 pieces cookies, vanilla wafers
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 16 ounces cottage cheese, 1% fat
- 8 ounces cream cheese, reduced-fat, Neufchatel, cut into pieces
- 1 cups sugar
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice, or fresh
- 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoon lemon, verbena or balm, finely chopped
- 2 quarts strawberries
- 2 tablespoon sugar
- 1 sprigs lemon, verbena or balm, for garnish
Directions
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
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Coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray.
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Wrap the outside of the pan with a double thickness of foil.
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Put a kettle of water on to boil for the water bath.
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To prepare crust:
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Pulse vanilla wafers in a food processor into fine crumbs.
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Add oil and pulse to blend.
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Press the crumb mixture evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan. (Rinse and dry the workbowl.)
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To prepare filling:
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Process cottage cheese in the food processor until very smooth and silky, stopping to scrape down the sides once or twice.
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Add cream cheese and process until smooth. Add sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla and salt; process until well blended.
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Add eggs and pulse several times just until mixed in.
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Sprinkle in lemon verbena (or lemon balm); mix with a rubber spatula. (Do not process.) Scrape the filling into the crust.
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Place the cheesecake in a shallow roasting pan and pour in enough boiling water to come 1 inch up the outside of the springform pan.
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Bake until the edges are set but the center quivers slightly, 50 to 55 minutes.
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Turn off the oven.
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Let the cheesecake cool in the oven, with the door ajar, for 1 hour.
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Remove foil from pan.
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Cover cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours.
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To prepare topping:
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About 1/2 hour before serving, rinse strawberries.
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Set aside 3 whole berries for garnish; hull remaining berries and slice into a bowl. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar and toss to coat.
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Let stand until strawberries are juicy, 20 to 30 minutes.
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To serve, place cheesecake on a platter and run a knife around the inside of the pan; remove pan sides.
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Make 3 lengthwise cuts in each whole berry; press lightly and arrange fanned berries in the center of the cheesecake.
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Garnish with a sprig of lemon verbena (or lemon balm).
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Top each serving with strawberries and juice and garnish with another sprig of verbena (or lemon balm).