Ontario Raspberry Cheesecake

ontario raspberry cheesecake

While I love to bake, I prefer to cook. So when I have friends coming over for dinner I generally exert the majority of my effort on the main part of the meal and choose recipes for dessert based on their easiness to deliciousness ratio. 

I have had this recipe in my arsenal for almost 20 years and while it is simple, it still manages to taste delicious and be a crowd pleaser. The original recipe calls for Oreo Cookie Pie Shells but fear not, if you can not find them pre-made you can always pick up the bread crumbs and follow the directions on the back for the crust.

oreo cookie crust

Ontario Raspberry Cheesecake

Ingredients

2 Oreo Cookie Pie Shells

1 egg, separated

1 cup whipping cream

8 oz soft cream cheese

2/3 cup icing sugar

2/3 cup concentrated Ontario raspberry juice. (I used 3 cups Ontario raspberries I froze after picking them in the summer)

1 tsp lemon juice

Assemble all ingredients before beginning.

In a small saucepan over low heat slowly warm 3 cups of frozen raspberries until mashed and slightly liquidy. Using a fine mesh sieve, place approximately 1.5 cups in the sieve and squeeze out 2/3 cups of concentrated raspberry juice and set aside. Keep remaining 1.5 cups of softened raspberries in pot for later use.

whipped egg white

In a small bowl, beat the egg white until stiff and then set aside. In a separate bowl beat 1 cup of whipping cream and set aside.

In a medium sized bowl, beat the soft cream cheese and gradually add in the icing sugar until smooth. Once fully incorporated, beat in the egg yolk, the raspberry juice and the lemon juice.

Fold whipped cream into the cheese mixture, then fold in egg whites. Once fully mixed, pour mixture into pie crusts and freeze until firm (approximately 3-4 hours).

Just before serving, warm up remaining crushed raspberries, adding 1/4 cup of sugar and 3 tbsp maple syrup and warm. Pour over slices of cheesecake and serve.

Raspberry Bourbon Vanilla Jam

raspberry bourbon vanilla jam

Three of my favourite words are in the name of this jam. Seriously, how could anything that includes raspberries, bourbon and vanilla bean not be a delight for your tastebuds. 

Raspberry Jam will forever be my favourite jam to make. Not only because I absolutely adore raspberries, but also because it was one of the first jams I learned how to make and whenever I make it I almost feel like I am a teenager once again back in my nona's kitchen.

This jam, while still delicious on your morning toast, croissant or bagel is almost more suited in my mind to be paired with ice cream, layered between chocolate cake or used as icing on a cupcake. But I leave it to you if you even want to do anything more with it than eat it straight from the jar with a spoon.

The recipe provides a range for how much bourbon you can use and the decision is completely up to you. I will just say that in my last preserving class when samples were given out and I advised the class that what they were eating was the full bourbon recipe, the decision was unanimous that we should make the batch with the full cup ;).

Raspberry Bourbon Vanilla Jam

Ingredients

600g raspberries (fresh or frozen)

3.5 cups sugar

1/2 cup - 1 cup bourbon

2 vanilla beans split and scraped

Instructions

Heat the raspberries in a small saucepan over medium heat and mash until they start to release their juices.

Add the sugar and stir until it fully dissolves, then add the bourbon and both vanilla beans and increase the heat to medium high and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Check for set. Once you have reached the desired set, turn off and remove from heat.

Skim off any remaining foam, remove the vanilla beans and ladle into previously sterilized jars. Leave ¼” head space. Place in a hot water bath for 10 minutes