White Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake

My mom made this for Valentine's Day for my Dad. It was amazing! The white chocolate adds so much to the flavor of the cheesecake. The raspberry adds just enough tangy contrast to make this dessert over the top. You must make this recipe for your sweetheart.

Oreo Cookie Crust:
13 Oreo cookies
1/4 cup melted butter

Cheesecake filling:
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, room temp (that's three 8 ounce packages)
1 cup white sugar
3 large eggs
2 Tbsp unbleached white flour
1 tsp almond extract
2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup white gourmet chocolate like Ghirardelli, melted with 2 Tbsp half and half
3/4 cup raspberry preserves, seedless

What to do:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place pan of hot water in the bottom of the oven. This will steam during the baking process and provide a more stable environment for the cheesecake to cook in; one with a more constant temperature.

Prepare a 9 inch spring form pan with foil and spray. Just place foil over the base of the spring form pan with the foil overlapping the base. Then place the spring rim over the foil and close. then fold the foil up the sides of the rim; this is to make sure the filling stays in the pan.
Mix crust ingredients and pat on the bottom of the prepared pan, making a nice even layer of crust, even if you need to push some of the cookie up the sides of the pan, that is ok.
Using a high-speed mixer beat cream cheese and sugar until creamy.
Add eggs and beat until fluffy, scraping sides of the bowl a few times and mixing after.
Add flour, almond extract, vanilla and salt, beat again and scrape down the sides.

In a double boiler (basically a sauce pan with water boiling and a glass bowl sitting over top the pan, making sure the bowl doesn't touch the water), melt the white chocolate with half and half until creamy.
Then, with the mixer on medium speed, add melted white chocolate. Beat on medium just until mixed and creamy.

Pour half the batter into the pan on top of the crust. Then carefully and evenly spoon half the raspberry preserves on top of the batter. It helps if you nuke the raspberry preserves first, couple of seconds, makes it more pliable. Do not let any preserves touch the sides of the pan.
Then, gently pour the remaining batter on top, being careful not to disturb the preserves.
Place small amounts of remaining preserves around the top of the cheesecake. And using a sharp knife or toothpick cut through the preserves and into the cheesecake to produce a swirled design. You can also drag the toothpick out a bit and make a star like symbol. That is what is on the top of the cheesecake pictured.

Bake at 325 for 60 -70 minutes. Its ok if the middle is still a little jiggly, as long as the cheesecake is mostly firm. If you see hints of brown on the top of the cheesecake, its definitely done.
Place in refrigerator to firm up.

I really hope you make this recipe for your special someone.