Strawberry Ice Cream Cheesecake

Photos courtesy of the Cooking Corner.

     Food experiments are the norm at my house so no one was surprised that I tried a cheesecake made with strawberries. When those sweet red berries are in season, I'm all for it. They are one of my favorites. 
    This sweet summer delight is a combination of two great things - strawberry ice cream and cheesecake. It's made in a graham cracker crust but has the taste and consistency of strawberry ice cream. That means it melts and gets soupy like any strawberry sundae. (I didn't know that at the time.) I was expecting a strawberry cheesecake, but as the title reads, strawberry ice cream is the key.
    However this turned out to be a favorite. The the strawberry flavor balances just right with the creamy texture. I thought of adding more cream cheese to thicken it up, but was afraid that would dilute the strawberry flavor. As the saying goes, "If it's not broke, don't fix it." But you can always try.

Strawberry Ice Cream Cheesecake

1 sleeve (9 rectangles) graham crackers

3 tablespoons melted butter

2 cups strawberries

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup orange juice

1 T. lemon juice

1 8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened 

1 cup powdered sugar

2 cups whipped topping

10-12 fresh strawberries for garnish

thin layer of whipped cream for topping

Preparation

Put graham crackers into a plastic bag and smash them until they are fine crumbs. 

Melt butter in small bowl and add graham cracker crumbs, stirring until well combined. Press into bottom of spring form pan and set aside.

In a blender combine 2 cups strawberries, sugar and orange juice. Blend until smooth. Set aside.

Mix cream cheese and powdered sugar in a medium bowl and beat until smooth. Fold in whipped cream. Stir in strawberry mixture. Pour over prepared crust and cover with plastic

wrap.

Freeze for 6 to 8 hours or until firm.

Just before serving spread a thin layer of whipped topping on top and then dot with a few fresh strawberries.