Strawberry Cheesecake

Place oven racks in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350° F.

In a medium-sized bowl, stir graham cracker crumbs together with sugar and melted butter until well incorporated and the mixture looks like damp sand. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, press crust into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Reduce oven temperature to 325° F.

In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix cream cheese 30 seconds 'til smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and add in granulated sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix again until incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again briefly.

Crack eggs into a liquid measuring cup and using a fork, beat until well scrambled. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the eggs into the cream cheese mixture and stop stirring once the eggs have been incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer and scrape the sides and bottom again, ensuring the entire mixture is smooth. If there are a few small lumps, try to fold in using the rubber scraper.

Once the batter is completely smooth and ready, tap the bowl on the counter for 30-45 seconds to remove as many air bubbles as possible. You should see them popping on the surface as you tap the bowl. Pour filling into the center of the graham cracker crust and gently smooth the top. It will be very full!

Bake for 30 minutes at 325° F. Reduce temperature to 250° F and continue cooking for 45 minutes more. Once this time has elapsed, turn the oven off and keep cheesecake inside for another 30 minutes for some carryover cooking without opening the oven door. Crack oven door to let cheesecake cool slowly for one hour before removing. At this point, cheesecake should be slightly warm. Bring cheesecake to room temperature on the counter (3-4 hours) before covering with plastic wrap and transferring to the fridge.

Refrigerate until chilled completely (6 hours to overnight). Open springform pan and remove the collar.

For the Strawberry Sauce, wash and slice 1 pound of strawberries and place into a small saucepan. Sprinkle in sugar and water. Heat over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook strawberries for 10 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Pour into a blender and blitz until completely smooth. Chill in the freezer for 10-15 minutes in a shallow dish.

Wash and slice the remaining pound of strawberries and decorate the chilled cheesecake with them. (Pile them high!) Pour half of the strawberry sauce over top of the entire cheesecake and reserve the other half to pour onto each individual serving, if desired. Cut into slices** and serve with remaining strawberry sauce.