White Chocolate and Raspberry Cheesecake

Crust

18 vanilla wafer cookies

1 cup almonds, toasted

41/2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

Filling

4 oz. imported white chocolate (Lindt is good), chopped

2-8 oz. packages cream cheese, room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

¾ tsp. grated lemon peel

2 large eggs

¾ cup fresh raspberries or frozen unsweetened, thawed, drained

Topping

1-8 oz. container sour cream

3 Tbsp. sugar

½ tsp. vanilla extract

2- ½ pint baskets raspberries or one 1 pint basket strawberries

½ cup seedless raspberry jam

For crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter bottom and 1 inch up sides of heart-shaped spring-form pan. Finely grind cookies and almonds in processor. Add butter and blend until mixture forms very moist crumbs. Using plastic wrap as aid, press crumbs firmly onto bottom and 2 inches up sides of pan. Bake until golden, about 5 minutes. Cool. Maintain oven temperature.

For filling: Melt white chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water until smooth, stirring often. Remove from over water. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and peel in large bowl until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until combined. Beat in white chocolate. Spoon half of batter into crust. Top with ¾ cup of berries. Spoon remaining batter over. Bake until edges of cake are set but center 3 inches still moves when cake is shaken, about 45 minutes. Cool 20 minutes. Maintain oven temperature. Using fingertips, press down gently on edges of cheesecake to flatten slightly.

For topping: Whisk sour cream, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Spoon over cake, spreading to edge of pan. Bake 5 minutes. Transfer cake in pan to rack. Run small knife around sides of cake. Cool completely. Chill cake overnight. Remove sides from pan, sliding knife along edges to loosen. Cover cake with berries in a tight, circular pattern (begin on the outer edge and work to the middle). Bring jam to simmer in small saucepan, stirring often. Gently brush jam over berries. (Can be prepared 3 hours ahead; chill.) Your friends will think that you went to Culinary Arts School when they see and taste this!