Eggnog Cheesecake with Raspberry Topping

I found this recipe in a Betty Crocker holiday entertaining book. I love eggnog and everyone loves cheesecake. And when you combine the two it's magical :-) This really reminds me of a vanilla bean cheesecake...only just a hint of eggnog! So even those of you who aren't the biggest fans of eggnog might give this cheesecake a try! Plus fresh raspberries in the middle of winter is always a great treat! It's kind of a Christmas-y recipe but since we are always traveling around during December I usually make this for Thanksgiving. It was the first thing I made for this Thanksgiving so that's one dish down...20 to go!

Eggnog Cheesecake
1 1/4 cups crushed shortbread cookies
1/4 cup butter (for high altitude reduce to 2 1/2 Tbls.)
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup eggnog
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

Raspberry Topping
1 (10 oz.) package frozen raspberries in syrup, thawed, undrained
2 Tbls. sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 cups fresh raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl combine crushed cookies and butter until combined. In an ungreased 9 in. springform pan push crumb mixture into a crust. Bake for about 10 min. or until set (it took me about 14 min. before it looked set).

Reduce heat to 325 degrees. In a mixer or bowl, beat cream cheese until soft and creamy. Gradually add sugar. Mix until smooth. Add eggs one at a time on low speed. Mix in eggnog and nutmeg. Do not over beat. (I recently learned that the trick to not cracking your cheesecake is not over beating after the eggs are added. So you really want to make sure the cream cheese is beat smooth BEFORE you add the eggs so that you don't over stir the mixture later.) Pour over crust.

Bake cheesecake for 50-60 min. (1 hr. 10- 1 hr. 20 min. for high altitude). Or until set but center still jiggles slightly. Another great trick for high altitude baking is to put a small baking pan filled with 1 or 2 cups of water in the oven on the bottom rack under the cheesecake while it's baking. This will help it to not crack. Cool in pan on wire rack for 1 hour. Refrigerate at least 6 hours or overnight.

In food processor, place frozen raspberries. Cover, process until smooth. If desired, strain seeds. In 1 qt. saucepan, mix pureed raspberries, 2 tablespoons sugar and the cornstarch. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. (For high altitude boil and stir for 3-4 minutes) Refrigerate sauce 30 minutes to cool. Stir fresh raspberries into sauce. Before cutting cheesecake, carefully remove side of pan. Serve sauce over wedges of cheesecake. Store unused portions covered in refrigerator.

More recipes to come as more food gets made! Happy Thanksgiving week!