-----base-----
1/4 c Butter
2 c Almonds; chopped
2 tb Granulated sugar
-----filling-----
12 oz Cream cheese; softened
1/2 c Granulated sugar
3 Eggs
1 c Sour cream
2 tb Amaretto
1/2 ts Vanilla
1/2 ts Almond extract
-----sauce-----
3 c Raspberries, frozen;
-unsweetened, thawed
2 tb Amaretto
Sugar
Recipe by: The Toronto Star, February 3, 1993
Base: In 9-inch microwavable quiche dish, shallow round baking dish or
deep
pie plate, melt butter at high (100 per cent power) 1 to 1 1/2 minutes.
Stir in
almonds and sugar until evenly coated with butter. Press into bottom and
sides
of dish. Microwave at high 2 to 3 minutes or until firm. If necessary,
rotate dish during cooking.
Filling: Beat cream cheese and sugar until light. Beat in eggs one at a
time.
Add sour cream, 2 tablespoons Amaretto or almond liqueur, vanilla and
almond
extract. Beat until smooth. Pour into baked crust.
Microwave uncovered at medium (50 per cent power) 14 to 18 minutes or
until
cheesecake is almost set in centre. Rotate dish partway through cooking,
if
necessary.
Cool on countertop to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate
until
serving time.
Sauce: Reserve some whole raspberries for garnish. Puree remaining
raspberries. Push through sieve to remove seeds. Stir 2 tablespoons
Amaretto or
almond liqueur into puree. Add sugar to taste.
To serve, spoon some sauce on to dessert plates. Place slice of
cheesecake on
sauce. Garnish with reserved berries.
Makes 6 to 8 servings. If you prefer, use 1 cup graham cracker
crumbs with 1/2 cup finely chopped
almonds for the crust. Use a food processor and pulse to chop nuts to an
even
consistency, rather than a fine powder. Also, you could substitute
strawberries
for the raspberries. To omit liqueur, increase almond extract in the
filling to
1 teaspoon and use just a drop in the raspberry puree.
