blueberry lime cheesecake

Another book from the library, 500 Cakes, inspired me to make my first ever cheesecake.

I had some limes at home, and there was a blueberry sale at Safeway, so this lime blueberry cheese cake was perfect.

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups graham cracker crumbs, finely ground
4 oz butter, melted
16 oz cream cheese
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
2/3 cup sour cream
3 eggs
2 limes, zest and juice
1 cup fresh blueberries (more to decorate)



The graham cracker crumbs I ground in batches in my handy Black & Decker food chopper, purchased for $5 at a thrift store. The little thing packs more horsepower (or whatever you call it) than some blenders/food processors. Crazy!



The melted butter was mixed into the crumbs and packed into the bottom of a springform pan. This crust was left to chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. (One of the bakeries where I stage at, they actually bake the crust for a few minutes before pouring the filling in. I'll try that next time.)



In the Kitchenaid, I beat the cream cheese till smooth, then added sugar, cornstarch, sour cream, eggs and lime zest/juice, beating after each addition. The last to go in were the blueberries - aren't they pretty?



The springform pan's bottom was wrapped in foil before I poured the filling in, just in case there was leakage. Then the whole foil wrapped pan went into a shallow hot water bath (I used one of those disposable aluminum roasting pans for lack of a better tray) and into the 350F oven for 45 minutes.



In my eagerness to eat the cheesecake, I cut it after it chilled for only a few hours in the fridge. The texture isn't quite fluffy then, but it is after spending the night in the fridge. Still, it was delicious for being such a simple recipe.

The great thing about the book is that for every cake, it lists variations. The blueberries and limes can be substituted with any other berry/citrus combination. Personally, I might try strawberry basil before the summer season is gone!