Key Lime Cheesecake with Strawberry-Butter Sauce

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup sugar
½ cup butter, melted
3- 8 oz. packages cream cheese, softened
1 ¼ cups sugar
6 eggs, separated
1-8oz. carton sour cream
1 ½ tsp grated lime rind
½ cup Key lime juice
Strawberry-Butter Sauce

Combine first 3 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well.  Firmly press mixture in bottom and 1 inch up sides of a buttered 9-inch springform pan.
Bake crust at 350 for 8 minutes, let cool in pan on a wire rack.
Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy; gradually add
1 ¼ cups sugar, beating well.  Add egg yolks, one at a time, beating after each addition.  Stir in sour cream, lime rind, and lime juice.
Beat egg whites at high speed until stiff peaks form; fold inot cream cheese mixture.  Pour batter into prepared crust.
Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 5 minutes; turn oven off.  Partially open oven door; let cheesecake cool in oven 15 minutes.  Remove from oven, and immediately run a knife around edge of pan to release sides.
Cool completely in pan on a wire rack; cover and chill 8 hours.  Serve with Strawberry-Butter Sauce.  Yield 1 9” cheesecake.

        Strawberry-Butter Sauce

1 ¼ cups fresh strawberries hulled
¼ cup butter, melted
½ cup sifted powdered sugar
1 ½ tsp grated lime rind

Position knife blade in food processor bowl; add strawberries.  Process until smooth, stopping once to scrape down sides.  Stir in butter and remaining ingredients.  Yield: 1 cup.