White Chocolate and Rhubarb Cheesecake

I'm a fan of rhubarb and had a fair bit of it that I had frozen in the summer. I'm not a fan of white chocolate, and I had no idea why there was so much of it in my cupboard. I got to use both in this recipe from the LCBO's excellent, free Food & Drink magazine, Spring 2002 issue.

I made it twice this fall, and it stood in well the second time on Hallowe'en night, as "Blood and Brains Pie"!

Cooking the rhubarb:




For the crust, I used Betsy's excellent ginger cookies, that I have learned make great cookies and great cheesecake and tart crusts!




Dolloping the rhubarb in the white chocolate filling before swirling:




Post swirling:




Yum yum:




White Chocolate and Rhubarb Cheesecake

This tastes best at room temperature, so remove it from the fridge about an hour before serving.

Rhubarb Swirl:
2 and 1/2 cups (625 mL) thinly sliced rhubarb, about two to three stalks
1/3 cup (75 mL) granuluted sugar
2 tbsps (25 mL) orange juice

Crust:
1/4 cup (50 mL) melted butter
1 and 1/4 cups (300 mL) graham wafer or ginger cookie crumbs

White Chocolate Filling:
Three 8-oz. (250 mL) packages of block cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
1 tbsp (15 mL) cornstarch
3 eggs
2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla
1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
2 cups (500 mL) sour cream
8 oz. (250 g) white chocolate, melted

1. In a small saucepan, stir rhubarb with sugar and orange juice. Cover and set over medium heat. Stir occasionally until rhubarb is very soft, about 10 minutes. Uncover and stir frequently, mashing with the back of a spoon, until rhubarb forms a thick purée, about five minutes more.

2. Preheat oven to 350F (180C).

3. Lightly butter bottom and sides of a 9.5" (24 cm) springform pan. In a small bowl, stir crumbs with butter until mixed. Press onto bottom of pan. Bake in centre of preheated oven until set, about 8 to 10 minutes. Cool completely. Leave oven on.

4. Meanwhile, using electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add sugar and cornstarch, beating until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each addition and scraping down sides as needed until incorporated. Beat in vanilla and salt. Stir in sour cream and white chocolate just until mixed.

5. Wrap the underside and halfway up the sides of the springform pan with a double layer of heavy-duty foil. Pour half the cream cheese mixture into the pan. Drop half the rhubarb purée by spoonfuls over cream cheese. Using the tip of a sharp knife, swirl rhubarb into cream cheese. Fill with remaining cream cheese mixture and rhubarb purée, swirling remaining rhubarb with the tip of a knife.

6. Set pan in a larger ovenproof dish. Fill larger dish with enough hot water to come about 1 inch (2.5 cm) up the sides of the pan. Do not fill water higher than the foil. Bake in centre of preheated oven 45 minutes. Leaving door closed, turn off oven and leave cheese cake in oven for one hour. Remove pan from water and discard foil. Run a knife around outside edge of cheesecake. Cool in pan on a rack at room temperature for one hour. Refrigerate overnight. Cheesecake will keep well refrigerated for several days or can be frozen. Serves to 10 to 12.