Strawberries-and-cream Cheesecake

Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr 30 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 8
• 1 1/2 lbs strawberries, hulled
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 cups graham crackers, finely ground (about 4 sheets)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 lb cream cheese, room temp
• 13 ounces cream cheese, room temp
• 1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped and reserved
• 8 3/4 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temp

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 300°f place strawberries in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. drizzle with corn syrup, and toss gently to coat. bake until syrup thickens and strawberries turn deep red and shrink slightly, about 1 hour. transfer berries and syrup to a medium bowl, and mash. let cool completely.
• 2 raise oven temperature to 350°f stir together graham cracker crumbs, 3 t sugar, and the melted butter in a small bowl. press mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. bake until crust is firm to the touch and has just darkened, about 10 minutes. transfer pan to a wire rack, and let crust cool completely.
• 3 reduce oven temperature to 325°f put cream cheese into a bowl, mix on medium-low with a mixer until creamy, about 2 minutes. scrape down the sides of the bowl, then gradually add remaining cup sugar and salt. scrape down sides of bowl; add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. scrape down sides and mix in the vanilla seeds and marscapone until no lumps remain, about 3 minutes.
• 4 transfer 5 cups cream cheese mixture to the bowl with the mashed strawberries; stir to combine. pour strawberry-cream cheese mixture on top of crust and smooth. carefully spoon dollops of plain cream cheese mixture on top, smooth.
• 5 wrap the exterior of the pan in 2 layers of foil; set in a large roasting pan. fill roasting pan with boiling water until it has reached halfway up the sides of the springform.
• 6 bake cheesecake until set, about 1 hour. remove from water bath and transfer to a wire rack to cool. refrigerate until cold, at least 4 hours up to overnight.