Macadamia Cheesecake

Photo: flickr user stu_spivack

Ingredients

cup Macadamia nuts,salted

cup Graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons Butter or margarine,melted

cup Sugar

1 pkt Cream cheese (3 oz)

2 pkts Cream cheese (8 oz)

4 lrgs egg yolks

3 tablespoons Liqueur*

1 teaspoon Vanilla

Whipped cream (opt)

Strawberries (opt)

Mint sprigs (opt)

cup Passion fruit puree

cup Sugar

1 tablespoon Cornstarch

cup Strawberries

Preparation

In a blender, whirl 1/4 cup nuts until ground; scrape into an 8" cake pan with removable rim. Add cracker crumbs, butter, and 1 tablespoon sugar; mix and press over pan bottom.

Chop remaining nuts. In a bowl, beat smoothly with a mixer the remaining sugar, cream cheese, yolks, liqueur, and vanilla; scrape bowl as needed. Mix in chopped nuts.

Spread batter onto crust in pan. Bake in 325'F. oven until cake jiggles only slightly when gently shaken, about 40 minutes. Let cool on a rack, then cover and chill until cold, at least 2 hours or up 1 day.

Run a knife between cake and rim; remove rim. Spoon 2 tablespoons lilikoi sauce onto each dessert plate; spoon strawberry sauce in dots onto lilikoi sauce. Pull a knife tip through dots to make designs.

Set cake wedges on plates; garnish with cream, berries, and mint.

*** LILIKOI SAUCE***

To make passion fruit puree, cut 24 passion fruit (about 2 pounds total) in half; scoop pulp and seeds into a fine strainer over a bowl. Rub firmly to remove all pulp from seeds; discard seeds. (For about $12 for 2 pounds, plus shipping.)

In a 1 to 1 1/2 quart pan, mix sugar and cornstarch; add puree.

Stir over medium-high eat until boiling, 4-5 minutes. Let cool; stir occasionally. If made ahead, chill airtight up to 1 day.

*** STRAWBERRY SAUCE***

In a blender, smoothly puree strawberries. Rub through a fine strainer into a bowl; discard seeds. If made ahead, chill airtight up to 1 day; stir to use.