Rhubarb Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS

Crust:
6 tbsp butter, melted
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Rhubarb Sauce:
4 large stalks of rhubarb
3 Tbsp water
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp Triple Sec (or water)
1 Tbsp flour

Cheesecake:
2 (8 oz.) pkg light cream cheese
1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 Tbsp flour
1 tsp lemon rind (optional)
rhubarb sauce

Topping:
3/4 cup rhubarb sauce
1 cup light sour cream
sugar, to taste
whipped cream (optional)


DIRECTIONS

To make the crust:

In a bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon until thoroughly mixed. Add the melted butter. Stir or blend together with your hands. Press evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. Bake the crust at 325 F for about 10 minutes. Cool.

To make rhubarb sauce:

Chop 4 large stalks rhubarb and put into a medium sized saucepan. Add the first amount of water and cook over low heat until very soft. Remove rhubarb from heat and mash the rhubarb. Add about sugar, Triple Sec (or water) and flour; mix well. Put back on stove and stir until thickened. Allow to cool. Set aside 3/4 cups for the topping

To make cheesecake:

Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add sugar and eggs. Stir in flour and lemon rind. Mix in the remaining rhubarb sauce; continue to beat until smooth. Pour over crust and bake about 50 minutes (or until cake barely moves when shaken) at 325 degrees F. Turn oven off and leave cake in oven another 10 minutes. Cool.

To make topping:

Combine the reserved 3/4 cup rhubarb sauce with the light sour cream (and sugar if you desire a sweeter topping).

To serve:

When cheesecake is cool top with the rhubarb/sour cream mixture and refrigerate 2 hours. Serve with whip cream.


NOTE: for the topping, you can use just straight rhubarb sauce if you want.

NOTE: you could also add some chopped strawberries into the sauce when you're making it. The flavour becomes less tart then.