Nicole makes her best ever strawberry cheesecake using freshly picked strawberries and a homemade graham cracker crust. Plus, she shows you her special technique to cook the dessert evenly.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Break graham crackers into the bowl of a food processor. Add sugar and pulse until large crumbs form. Add butter and pulse just until combined and mixture resembles slightly wet sand.
Lightly grease a 10-inch springform pan; press mixture lightly into the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of the pan.
Bake in the preheated oven until fragrant and slightly golden brown around the edges, about 8 minutes. Let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Bring about 3 quarts of water to a boil.
Place cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using a paddle attachment, whip cheese on medium speed just until smooth, to avoid incorporating too much air. Add sugar and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add in sour cream, vanilla, lemon juice and salt and blend until just combined. With the mixer on low speed, add eggs, one at a time, mixing until each egg is fully incorporated, then mix until just combined and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Pour mixture into the prepared crust. Wrap bottom and sides of pan well with heavy duty aluminum foil. Place the pan inside a large deep roasting pan and set pan in the oven. Carefully pour boiling water into the roasting pan around the cheesecake without letting any water inside the foil wrap or the cheesecake.
Bake in the preheated oven until the center is very slightly jiggly, about 50 minutes. Carefully remove pans from the oven and allow cheesecake to cool in the water bath for 15 to 20 minutes. After about 10 minutes, just when cheesecake starts to release itself from the sides, run a knife around the sides.
Remove wrapped cheesecake from water bath and place on a wire rack to cool completely, about 1 hour. Unwrap cheesecake and place in refrigerator until fully chilled and ready to serve, at least 4 hours.
Place 1/2 of strawberries in a large saucepan and stir in sugar, lemon, vanilla, cornstarch, and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium high and allow mixture to simmer until berries are softened.
Using a potato masher, mash strawberries until slightly chunky; continue to simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in remaining strawberries, and let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serve cheesecake slices with strawberry topping.
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