chocolate cranberry cheesecake

I have a friend from China.  We love to cook together.  I teach her how to make American food, and she teaches me how to make Chinese food.    We started our friendship by making 156 sugar cookies, complete with multiple colors of frosting.  That was five years ago.  Since then, we've made meatloaf (in the shape of a rat...her idea, not mine), chocolate chip cookie dough pie, Sprite bread, bean and pasta soup, fresh pumpkin soup, cheesy potatoes, and many other dishes that I can't even recall at the moment.  It's a wonderful thing. :-)

At one memorable dinner, we made stuffed bell peppers (a Chinese recipe), vegetable couscous (my recipe), and a chocolate cranberry cheesecake (inspired by an American cookbook).  It was all delicious!

Here's the recipe for our amazing dessert...

Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake
cranberry sauce:

• 8 oz. cranberries
• 3/4 cup water
• dash allspice
• dash cloves
• 1/4 t. orange extract
• 1/2 cup sugar

crust:

• 1-1/3 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

filling:

• 2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, warmed

In a medium saucepan, bring cranberries and water to a boil.  Boil until the skin of the berries pops open, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and add allspice, cloves, orange extract, and sugar.  Mix until thoroughly combined.  Cool in refrigerator.

For the crust, combine wafer crumbs, sugar, and butter in a small bowl.  Press into the bottom and one inch the sides of a greased 9-inch springform pan; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.  Add sour cream and cornstarch, beating well.  Add eggs, and beat on low speed just until combined.  Using a slotted spoon, spoon one cup of cranberry sauce into mixture; fold in.  Pour into crust.

Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake at 325 for 30-35 minutes or until the center is almost set.  Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen; cool one hour longer.  Refrigerate overnight.

Before serving, drizzle pieces with chocolate topping.