cheesecake.

Over here at The Lab (and in northern California), the end of summer = berries. Blackberries, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries…we see these beautiful specimens en masse at most grocery stores in the area. So the question becomes more than just how to enjoy the berries, it’s what can we put these berries on?

Gourmet magazine, which is, sadly, no longer, has a beautiful cheesecake recipe that features minted blackberries. Since we can’t seem to leave well enough alone, we decided to convert the recipe to gluten-free cheesecake and to sub golden raspberries for blackberries. The result? Deee-lish.

. . .

Cheesecake with minted golden raspberries
adapted from Gourmet’s recipe, cheesecake with minted blackberries, August 2008

FOR CRUST
3/4 stick unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup tapioca starch
1/2 cup coarse almond flour (such as Bob’s Red Mill)

FOR FILLING
3 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon brown rice flour
1 tablespoon tapioca starch
1/4 cup half-and-half
3 large eggs

FOR BERRIES
3 cups golden raspberries (3/4 pound)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon finely chopped mint
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

MAKE CRUST: Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Line a 9-inch square baking pan with 2 crisscrossed sheets of foil, leaving an overhang on 2 sides, then lightly butter foil. Beat together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and add flour and almond meal, mixing until combined and dough begins to clump together. Press onto bottom of baking pan with floured fingers. Bake just until a shade darker and edges begin to pull away from pan, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool crust completely in pan.

MAKE FILLING AND BAKE: Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Beat together cream cheese, sugar and flour with cleaned beaters at medium speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add half-and-half, then eggs 1 at a time, mixing until incorporated. Pour filling into crust. Bake in a hot water bath until set 1.5 inches from edge but center is still wobbly, 40 to 45 minutes. (Center will set as it cools.) Transfer pan to a rack and cool completely, about 2 hours. Chill, uncovered, at least 2 hours. Using foil overhang, lift cheesecake from pan and peel off foil before cutting into small rectangles. Serve with macerated berries.

FOR BERRIES: stir together all ingredients in a bowl (raspberries, sugar, mint and lemon juice) and let macerate at room temperature 30 minutes. Berries can be chilled after macerating up to 2 hours.

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