Start by soaking overnight a 16 oz bag of dried, pitted sour cherries in enough Kirschwasser brandy to cover.
For the Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder (I like Green and Black's)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine dry ingredients, melt the butter and stir into dry mixture. Turn gently until all ingredients are incorporated. In a 9 inch spring-form pan, pie plate, or glass baking dish. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and at least 2 inches up the sides of pan. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature.
You can substitute chocolate graham crackers for the crackers and cocoa.
For the Cheesecake:
20 oz. cream cheese (2 1/2 8oz. packages)
12 oz. cottage cheese (1 1/2 cups)
1 cup white granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Kirsch soaked cherries
Let refrigerated ingredients come to room temperature, about 1 hour. Heat oven to 300 degrees. Using an electric mixer, whip cream cheese with sugar until smooth. In a food processor, blitz cottage cheese and cherries until smooth. Add the cottage cheese, the cherries, and vanilla to the cream cheese mixture and blend until smooth. With the beater on low, add the eggs one at a time until blended well. Pour into pan and bake for 1 hour or until center is firm. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate overnight in the dish or pan you baked in, covered. Cheesecake gets better and better each day it sits.
Variations:
Use only cream cheese or only cottage cheese.
Substitute 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest for 1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon of each.
Substitute gingersnap cookie crumbs instead of graham cracker and omit sugar for crust; works especially well with lemon zest.
Spread 1 cup sour cream on top of finished cheesecake before refrigeration. Works well to hide a cheesecake that has cracked.
