Cream Cheese Rhubarb Pie

Ingredients

1/4 cup cornstarch
1 cup sugar
Pinch salt
1/2 cup water
3 cups sliced fresh or frozen rhubarb (1/2-inch pieces)
recipe for a 9-inch single crust pie
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
2 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
whipped cream


Directions

In a saucepan, combine the cornstarch, 1 cup sugar and salt. Add water; stir until smooth. Add rhubarb. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour into the pie shell; bake at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, for topping, beat cream cheese, eggs and 1/2 sugar until smooth. Pour over pie. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F. Bake for 35 minutes or until set. Cool. Chill several hours or overnight. Garnish with whipped cream.

NOTE: Don't limit yourself to a rhubarb layer. Mix things up a bit--add some strawberries to that rhubarb. Or completely ignore the rhubarb and use peaches with a dash of cinnamon, raspberries, blueberries... any kind of fruit pie filling recipe would work. Just note that if you change the fruit layer, you will probably have to adjust the sugar and cornstarch amounts to accommodate the difference in juices, so be careful.