Cherry Cheesecake

This recipe is the brainchild of a dear friend of mine and it may be the best cheesecake I have ever had.  And though I have never made it myself, I can promise you it is totally amazing.  So, get ready for something really magical - and remember, always add more cherries. ;)

Ingredients

Crust:

¾ cup walnuts

¾ cup almond meal (or almond flour) 

½ cup sugar

3 tablespoons margarine

1-2 teaspoon cinnamon

Filling:

Butter (for pan)

1lb Farmer’s cheese

1lb cream cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 cup sugar

2 tsp vanilla

3 large eggs

1 tbs cornstarch

1 can cherry pie filling (for filling and topping divided)

½ c to 1 cup sour cream for topping

1 tbs sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Crust:

Butter a 9 in spring form pan.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, pulse walnuts until fine.  Add almond flour, sugar and cinnamon and process briefly to blend. Cut margarine into small pieces and add until crust mixture becomes moist. Pour into bottom of spring form pan and press to cover bottom and seam of pan.  Bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.  Let cool completely.

Filling:

Reduce temperature of oven to 300 deg. Beat farmers cheese and cream cheese to make as smooth as possible. Add sugar, vanilla, eggs to make the mixture creamy and smooth. Blend in sour cream and cornstarch. Place half of the batter in the pan.

Place canned cherries in a bowl.  Remove cherries with fingers and shake off excess filling.  Scatter cherries in the batter (as many as you want). Pour in some more batter, add more cherries. Swirl some filling on the top.

Bake cheesecake at 300 deg for 1 to 1.5 hr (or until it jiggles like a custard).  Mix sour cream and remaining cherry filling, sugar, and vanilla to taste. Carefully spoon over top.  Return to oven to bake .5 hr more. 

Remove cake from oven.  Let cool.  Refrigerate overnight.

Helpful Notes (from the Recipe's Author):

- The 1 lb of farmer's cheese and cream cheese is not strict - she uses what she has

- If you can't buy farmer's cheese where you live, you can make it by boiling whole milke for awhile and then pouring it through cheese cloth.  (This would be an appropriate step for our all-star readers who are more the Suzy Homemaker/Amish Cheesemaker type . . . I can see myself buying the cheese. . . )

- It's common for the cake to crack a bit.  This is why the frosting is a good idea -  make the cake more presentable/professional.  (Also, who doesn't love frosting???)