GREEN TEA CHEESECAKE WITH RASPBERRIES AND RASPBERRY-MINT TISANE

Green Tea Cheesecake with Raspberries and Raspberry-Mint Tisane image

Provided by Elizabeth Falkner

Yield Makes 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 12

Cake
1 cup (generous) ground shortbread cookies (about 6 ounces)
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature (do not use whipped or "light" products)
1/2 cup (packed) fromage blanc*
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons Japanese green tea powder** or 2 teaspoons finely ground green tea from about 4 tea bags
Tisane
2 1/2-pint containers fresh red raspberries
2 1/2-pint containers fresh golden raspberries
1 bunch fresh mint
Boiling water

Steps:

For cake:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Press cookie crumbs firmly onto bottom (not sides) of 8-inch-diameter springform pan. Wrap outside of pan tightly with 3 layers of heavy-duty foil. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, fromage blanc, and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition. Beat in green tea powder until smooth. Pour batter over prepared crust in pan. Place cakein roasting pan; add enough hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of springform pan.
Bake cake until set but center moves very slightly when pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour. Remove cake from roasting pan; cool 1 hour at room temperature. Refrigerate uncovered overnight. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)
For tisane:
Place 5 raspberries (mix of red and golden) and 3 mint leaves in each of 8 heatproof glasses. Fill glasses with boiling water; let steep 5 minutes.
Cut around pan sides to loosen cake; remove sides. Place cake on platter. Garnish cake with some raspberries. Cut cake into wedges. Serve each piece with a few raspberries and a glass of tisane.
*Fromage blanc is available at some supermarkets, cheese stores, and specialty foods stores.
**Green tea powder is available at Japanese markets.