Simple Strawberry Chamomile Cheesecake

From: Half Baked Harvest

Unlike any other cheesecake...it's a cross between the classic and a French Basque. Simple to make, hard to mess up!

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours
Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 3 cups fresh or frozen strawberries, halved
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3-4 chamomile tea bags (optional, see note)
• 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

• Add the strawberries, honey, and lemon juice to a medium-size pot set over high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook 5-8 minutes or until the jam has reduced and thickened by 1/3, but still has some sauce to it. Remove from the heat, submerge the chamomile tea bags, cover and steep 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags and let the jam cool.

• Meanwhile, place a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line an 8x8 inch square pan with parchment paper.

• Gently roll the puff pastry out on a clean surface to 1/4 inch thickness. Press the pastry inside the pan and up the sides of the pan. It's OK if the pastry does not go all the way up the sides (see above photos). Transfer to the fridge and chill while you prepare the batter.

• In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and sugar on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl until very smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, 1 at a time until the eggs are fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then reduce the mixer speed to medium-low. Add sour cream, vanilla, and salt, and beat until combined, about 30 seconds. Divide the batter in half. Stir 1/2 cup jam into one half of the batter, reserve the remaining jam for serving.

• Pour the strawberry batter into the prepared pan. Now gently pour the plain batter over the strawberry batter, the batters will mix. Using a knife, gently make swirls throughout. Transfer to the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, until just set, but still a little jiggly in the center. Allow the cheesecake to cool slightly, then transfer to the fridge to chill completely, at least 1 hour. Cut into squares and serve topped with the remaining strawberry jam.

Recipe Notes

Chamomile: this can easily be omitted if preferred. The cheesecake will be great either way!