Roasted Strawberry Cheesecake

Strawberries are so delicious right now, I’m looking for anyway to use them. Here’s a recipe from Martha, slightly adapted.

The only adaptation from Martha’s recipe is the cooking method. I’m SO not a fan of wrapping everything in foil and making a water bath and BLAH BLAH BLAH that comes with making a traditional cheesecake. #aintnobodygottimeforallathat. I heat up the oven good and hot, about 500°, pop it in for about 10 minutes then drop it way down (don’t open that oven door!) to 200° and let her bake another hour or so until the middle is set.

The main cast for roasted strawberry cheesecake: strawberries, graham crakers, butter, cream cheese, heacy cream, mascarpone cheese and whole vanilla beans.

Fresh strawberries, coated with light corn syrup, ready to be roasted.

Roasted strawberries. See the difference? They’ve been slightly dehydrated and the flavors concentrated. And they smell delicious.

Vanilla beans + cream cheese batter base.

Roasted and mashed strawberries, ready to mix with the vanilla bean base.

I could seriously just eat this with a spoon. I may have. A little. You have to taste as you go right? Right.

Strawberry layer loaded into the spring form pan, followed by a plain vanilla layer.

adapted from Martha

makes: 1-10″ cheesecake in 1.5 hours

Ingredients
1 pound strawberries, hulled
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup finely ground graham crackers (about 4 sheets)
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 pound plus 13 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and reserved
8 1/4 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature

Directions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Place strawberries in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with corn syrup, and toss gently to coat. Bake until syrup thickens and strawberries turn deep red and shrink slightly, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Transfer strawberries and syrup to a medium bowl, and mash with a potato masher. Let cool completely.

Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons sugar, and the melted butter in a small bowl. Press mixture into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan to make an even layer. Bake until crust is firm to the touch and has just darkened, about 10 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let crust cool completely.

Raise oven temperature to 500 degrees. Put cream cheese into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium-low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl, then gradually add remaining cup sugar and the salt. Scrape down sides of bowl; add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl, and mix in vanilla bean seeds and mascarpone until very creamy and no lumps remain, about 3 minutes. (Reserve vanilla bean for another use.)

Transfer 5 cups cream cheese mixture to bowl with mashed strawberries; stir to combine. Pour strawberry-cream cheese mixture on top of crust; smooth with an offset spatula. Carefully spoon dollops of plain cream cheese mixture on top, smoothing with an offset spatula.

Bake cheesecake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes. Turn oven down to 200 degrees (do NOT open the oven door) and bake until set, about 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour, then refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours (up to overnight).