Every spring I look for rhubarb at my farmers market. It’s my favorite, but its season is short (and it’s not cheap), so I try one or two recipes each year. Past years have included a Rhubarb Mascarpone Tart and Rhubarb Crumble Ice Cream. This year I went for a cheesecake. I love the tart rhubarb along side the sweetness of the cheesecake base.

This recipe also freezes well. Omit the topping and wrap individual slices tightly in plastic wrap. Thaw in fridge.

Ingredients
Compote – make ahead
10 oz rhubarb, about 4 large stalks
½ c sugar
1 T lemon juice
¼ t vanilla extract

Crust
1 ½ c vanilla wafer crumbs
5 T butter, melted

Cream Cheese Layer
3 8-oz packages of cream cheese, room temperature
1 c sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1 t vanilla extract
4 t cornstarch
¼ c rhubarb compote (or store-bought preserves)

Rhubarb Jelly
8-10 oz rhubarb, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 c sugar
½ T “less sugar” powdered fruit pectin

Instructions
compote – it’s best to make the compote ahead of time, as it stores well in the refrigerator.

• Chop rhubarb into small cubes, enough for 2 cups
• In a saucepan, combine ruhbarb and sugar over low heat. Once it starts to bubble, cook for 10 minutes until the rhubarb is broken down and the juice has thickened. Mash with the back of a wooden spoon.
• Remove from heat and at stir in lemon juice and vanilla. Transfer to a bowl or jar and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
• This will make a bit more than the ¼ cup needed for the recipe. Extra compote is great for an ice cream topping, waffle topping, or mix-in for yogurt.

Make crust

• Combine crust ingredients. Press into the bottom and 1/2-inch up the sides of a greased 10″ springform pan.

Make filling

• Preheat oven to 350°.
• In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, vanilla and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined. Add cornstarch and again beat just until combined.
• Pour half of the batter into the crust. Dollop about 6 teaspoons of rhubarb compote (or preserves, etc.) on the batter and swirl using a knife or skewer. Pour the remaining batter into the pan, repeating the process with the remaining compote, creating a nice swirl pattern on the top.
• Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Lower the temperature to 225° and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until the center is only slightly jiggly.
• Remove the cake from the oven and run a knife around the inside edge of the pan. Turn the oven off; return the cake to the oven for an additional 30 minutes and then remove from oven. Chill uncovered, overnight, still in springform pan.

Make Jelly – you extract the juice up to several days ahead of time. Do not, however, cook the jelly until you are ready to finish the cheesecake.

• Grind the rhubarb in a food processor. Place rhubarb in a fine mesh sieve (or cheesecloth) over a bowl and let stand until liquid measures about ½ cup. You may need to press the rhubarb with a rubber spatula to get the juice out. This will likely take more than 30 minutes.
• Pour juice into a saucepan, add sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Once boiling, add pectin; bring to a full rolling boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat.
• Chill for about 30 minutes, letting it begin to thicken.
• For immediate serving on individual slices (as pictured), you want the the consistency of Drain-o. If you want to create a stiff mirror glaze, you want to set the jelly for even longer, allowing it to thicken so that it does not drip down the sides. At that point, guide the jelly on top of the cake and again return to the refrigerator to fully set, creating a glossy, nearly transparent, and slightly reflective surface.
• Enjoy!