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.