White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

I love cheesecake and have had this recipe in my book for a while now waiting for me to try it out. It's a bit labor intensive, but so worth it if you have the time! Delicious and absolutely beautiful. A great centerpiece to any nice dinner you want to prepare.

Ingredients:

1 cup chocolate cookie crumbs

3 TB white sugar

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 (10-oz) package frozen raspberries

2 TB white sugar

2 tsp cornstarch

1/2 cup water

2 cups white chocolate chips

1/2 cup half-and-half cream

3 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup white sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix together cookie crumbs, 3 TB sugar and melted butter. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan.

In a saucepan, combine raspberries, 2 TB sugar, cornstarch and water. Bring to a boil and continue boiling 5 minutes, or until sauce is thick. Strain sauce through a mesh strainer to remove seeds.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a small metal bowl over a pan of simmering water, melt white chocolate chips with half-and-half, stirring occasionally  until smooth.

In a large bowl, mix together cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time. Blend in vanilla and melted white chocolate. Pour half of batter over crust. Spoon 3 TB raspberry sauce over batter. Pour remaining cheesecake batter into pan and again spoon 3 TB raspberry sauce over the top. Swirl batter with teh tip of a knife to create a marbled effect.

Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until filling is set. Cool, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 8 hours before removing from pan. Serve with remaining raspberry sauce.