Cranberry Orange Cheesecake

In a medium sauce pan over medium heat add 1 cup fresh cranberries, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup water or cranberry juice, and 1 Tablespoon Amoretti Cranberry Flavor (optional).

Stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a low boil and berries begin to pop. Reduce heat to low, continue stirring until liquids reduce by half. Smash cranberries with the back of a fork or potato masher. Cool. Place in small bowl, cover, and chill 30 minutes.

In a medium size bowl combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar. Press in the bottom, and up the sides of a 9 in. spring form pan. Set pan aside.

Preheat oven to 350°

In the bowl of mixer, with paddle attachment, add softened cream cheese and sugar. Blend on low until well combined, scrapping down the sides and bottom of the bowl occasionally. Add beaten eggs, a little at a time, mixing in-between each addition. Scrape down sides of bowl. Add orange zest and Amoretti Orange Artisan Flavoring or Orange extract. Mix until smooth and creamy.

Pour orange cheesecake batter into graham cracker crust. Add the chilled cranberry puree by dabbing 10 Tablespoons on the top of cheesecake. Use a butter knife to swirl the dabs of cranberry filling into the orange cheesecake batter by dragging the knife through the cranberry dabs back and forth careful not to touch the bottom crust.

Center the cheesecake on the middle rack of preheated oven. Place a shallow baking dish, filled with one inch of water, on the bottom rack, underneath the cheesecake to prevent cracking. Do NOT open oven during baking. Bake for 1 hour.

Remove cheesecake and allow to cool completely. While cheesecake is cooling, take a sharp knife and carefully go around between the pan and crust to loosen the crust from the pan. Cover and Chill overnight.

In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, add 1 cup fresh cranberries, orange juice, sugar, and Amoretti Orange Puree, or 1 teaspoon orange extract. Stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a low boil and berries begin to pop.

In a small bowl, combine water and corn starch. Mix until well blended. Whisk into boiling cranberry sauce, constantly stirring until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and cool completely. This can be made the day before serving and chilled. Spoon fresh cranberry sauce on top of chilled Cranberry Orange Cheesecake. Garnish with additional orange zest, orange slices, and fresh sugared cranberries.