Cheesecake with Apricot Sauce

Yield: 1 1/2 cups sauce

Ingredients

Cheesecake

• 1/2 cup Graham cracker crumbs
• 2 pounds cream cheese, softened
• 4 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
• Juice and grated rind of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Strawberries, blueberries or other fruit or berries

Apricot Sauce

• 1 (10 ounce) jar apricot jam
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon rum, Cognac or kirsch

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Butter the inside of an 8 inch wide soufflé dish and sprinkle with Graham cracker crumbs until coated. (Do not use a springform pan.) Shake out the excess crumbs. Set aside.
2. Place cream cheese, eggs, sugar, lemon juice and rind and vanilla extract in a bowl. Start beating with electric beater at low speed and, as the ingredients blend, increase the speed to high. Continue beating until thoroughly blended and smooth. Scrape batter into prepared dish and shake gently to level the mixture. Set the dish inside a slightly wider pan and fill larger pan with boiling water to a depth of about 1/2 inch. Do not let the edge of the soufflé dish touch the rim of the larger pan.
3. Place in oven and bake 1 1/2 hours.
4. Turn off oven heat and let cake sit in oven 20 minutes longer.
5. Lift soufflé dish out of water and place on a rack. Let dish stand until cake reaches room temperature.
6. Invert a plate over the cake and carefully turn both upside down to unmold the cake. Invert a cake plate over the bottom of the cake and carefully turn this upside down so that the cake comes out right side up.
7. Garnish with berries or fruit and spoon Apricot Sauce over all.
8. Combine jam, sugar and water in a small saucepan and stir over low heat until blended and smooth. Push the sauce through a small sieve with a spoon.
9. Let cool and stir in the rum, Cognac or kirsch.