Strawberry Lemon Cheesecake

This last week has been a long one. I have spent it either working or sleeping and so I have not had much time to upload to this blog and for that I apologize. I also had a death in the family which has made things tough for all of us. I have not done much cooking or crafting but plan to get back into it soon. I have been planning to try some freezer cooking and will be sharing some of those recipes soon. For now I have an old recipe that I have not yet shared. My absolute favorite dessert.... Cheesecake!

Before I became lactose intolerant I used to make cheesecake all of the time. It was my favorite desert to make for people and it was so much fun to experiment with different fillings, toppings, and crusts. Not too long ago I decided to experiment with making a dairy free one. The recipe I decided to try was made up of four parts: graham cracker crust, cheesecake filling, lemon curd, and a strawberry topping.

Ingredients:

Crust

• 1 1/2 cups graham crackers
• 3 Tbls butter, melted
• 1/4 cup sugar

Filling

• 3 pkgs 8 oz cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 tsp vanilla
• 3/4 cup sour cream

Lemon Curd

• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 4 Tbls butter

Strawberry Topping

• 2 cups strawberries
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/2 Tbls lemon juice

Directions:

1. Start by making the lemon curd. In a small saucepan over medium heat whisk together lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and eggs. Once combined, add butter in small pieces and stir until mixture thickens. Strain mixture to eliminate any solid pieces and refrigerate. 
2. Next, make the crust. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Crush graham cracker crumbs and mix with sugar and butter. Press into bottom of cheesecake pan. Bake for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool and reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Make the filling by combining cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, and vanilla. Cheesecake works best if you do not over-mix. Stir just until everything is evenly combined. 
4. Pour mixture into pan on top of crust. Place in oven and bake for 1 hour or until center is set but jiggly.
5. While cheesecake is baking, make the strawberry sauce. Wash and slice strawberries and combine all ingredients in medium saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 20 minutes, occasionally stirring. Remove from heat and cool in refrigerator.
6. Once cheesecake is done place in refrigerator and let cool overnight. Spread lemon curd evenly on top of cheesecake once cool the next morning. Cover in strawberry sauce before serving.

This cheesecake has a slightly different texture than regular cheesecake. The vanilla and lemon help hide the non-dairy taste and add some nice flavors. This is a great dessert for the coming warmer months. Hope you all enjoy!