I went out for Lemons....

Returned home with 2 bags full of groceries;....and no lemon. *laughs*

I hate it when I come to a painful realization that I'm missing an ingredient whilst in the middle of a 'bake' frenzy. It really turns me off. All that initial enthusiasm gone to waste. Such a shame. Distracted and in a hurry; I completely forgot what I was there for in the first place.

Optimistically, i took is as an opportunity to flex my creative mind.
Gathered a couple of loose ends and magically pulled out a brand new recipe out of my @$$~ *grin* Haha...with the help of some valuable substitution skills.
We've seen meringue on lemon cheesecakes..ever seen meringue on a strawberry one?
We've seen berries decoratively positioned on a cheesecake..ever seen berries Inside a cheesecake?

Please excuse my tacky attempt at the meringue topping. I was a scrooge; used 1/3 of the recommended egg whites. Didn't want egg yolks going to waste *guilty grin*
I was pretty happy I forgot the lemons. My taste-testers were just as delighted.
This definitely deserves a special spot in my favourite recipes stash.
Was never really a fan of Lemon-y desserts anyway~

250g Short biscuits crushed (use 'Digestive' cookies or 'Nice' by Arnotts)
140 gms butter melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
500 gms cream cheese (softened)
300gm sour cream
3/4 cup castor sugar
2 tbsp good berry jam
1 punnet strawberries sliced
3 eggs

Meringue: 3 eggs whites+3/4 cup castor sugar

Mix melted butter, crushed biscuits and brown sugar in a large bowl. Press mixture firmly into base and sides of a 22cm spring form cheesecake pan. Cover with clingwrap and pop into the freezer
Beat in a large bowl, cheese, sour cream and castor sugar. Add in eggs one at a time and beat till smooth.
Arrange berries on the biscuit base and spread jam evenly on top. Cover berries with cheese mixture and spread evenly. Bake in preheated 160 degree oven for 45minutes till fairly set in the center. Leave the cake to cool in the oven with the door slightly ajar. (helps prevent the cake from cracking). Refrigerate for 3 hours.
Make meringue by beating egg whites till soft peaks form. Add in sugar a tablespoon at a time. Whisk constantly till mixture is stiff, thick and glossy.
Spread meringue over cake. And bake in preheated 200 degree oven for 6-8 minutes till meringue browns lightly on top. Nope~ can't eat it yet! *haha* Chill for another 2-3 hours before slicing this delicious little sin.