Strawberry Blueberry Cheese Cake

A simple Graham cracker crust made from crumbled graham crackers and a bit of butter formed the base; a well-beaten mixture of cream cheese and eggs with a few other ingredients made the filling, baked with a drizzling of berry sauce; it was cooled a bit and served with some extra berry sauce.

I used strawberries and blueberries we had picked at the farm and frozen towards the end of last summer. If using frozen berries, thaw before making the sauce.

When it was that time of the year a few weeks ago, D requested a berrylicious cheese cake for his special day. I was glad to oblige with this one.

Ingredients

for the graham cracker crust:
graham crackers
butter

for the cheesecake filling:
2 eggs
16 oz of Neufchâtel cheese or Cream cheese if preferred
½ cup sugar

for the berry sauce:
1 cup chopped strawberries
1 cup blueberries
a few Tablespoons of water
corn starch as needed to thicken

Preparation

1. Crust: Crumble some graham crackers and work in the butter a little at a time till the crumbs get a bit sticky and can be pressed onto a 9-inch pie plate; unfortunately I don't measure for this kind of crust - just eyeball it; chill the pie crust in the fridge while getting the filling and sauce ready
2. Berry Sauce: Simmer the berries in a little bit of water, adding more as needed; crush down with a ricer for a pulpy berry sauce, or puree for a smoother sauce; thicken with cornstarch if needed
3. Cheese cake Filling: Beat the eggs and cheese with sugar till creamy and smooth, adding a half teaspoon of vanilla essence if preferred
4. Assembly: Pour the filling into the chilled graham cracker crust on the pie plate about halfway; drizzle some berry sauce over the filling; pour more filling on top to sandwich the berry sauce, just enough to make the pie
5. Bake: Bake in a 350° F oven for about 35 to 40 minutes, checking every 15 minutes or so for doneness; when toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, or at least not soggy and mushy, it is done