Habanero-Lime Cheesecake

(Since my wife cooks by taste and eye, and every time she makes it she
fiddles with the recipe, some of these measurements are a bit of a
guess.)

Crust:
1-2 cups Wheatmeal biscuits (or graham crackers), ground to crumbs
Melted butter
Pinch of salt

Filling:
24 oz. cream cheese
2 T. heavy cream
Zest of 1 lime
Juice of about 1 - 2 limes
Pinch of salt
4 large eggs
1 cup of sugar
3 habaneros
2 T. sugar

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Set an rack in the middle of the oven.
Place a baking pan on a rack below this. Boil a kettle of water.

Mix the crumbs and salt together, then add butter to make the mixture
hold
together but remain slightly crumbly. Set aside 1/4 cup for topping and
press the rest into the bottom and sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Set
aside.

Roast the habaneros over an open flame and set them to steam under a
towel.
When cool enough to handle, peel and deseed. (The usual warnings about
fans,
maybe even gloves, goes here.) Pound in a mortar with 2 T. sugar until
you
have a coarse paste.

Cream the cream cheese, then add the sugar and salt. Beat in the eggs
one at
a time until incorporated. Add the cream. Beat the zest and lime juice
into
the filling. Add the habanero paste last and beat until well mixed. Pour
into the crust. Gently tap the pan to level out the filling. Sprinkle
the
reserved crumbs over the top.

Pour the boiling water into the pan in the oven and put the cheesecake
on
the rack above it. Bake for approximately 1 hour or until the cheesecake
pulls away from the edge of the pan. Remove from the oven and let set
for 20
minutes. Wrap and place in the freezer for 2-3 hours or keep in the
refrigerator overnight.

Garnish with slices of lime and a whole habanero in the center.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SILVER BILL'S
GARBANERO TONGUETWISTER
BILL MAXWELL, Vandalia, MO


1 quart peeled garlic cloves
6 to 12 bright red habaero peppers
2 6ounce bottles Goya Hot Sauce
1 tablespoon seasoned salt
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Snip the cluster end off each garlic clove.
 Remove seeds from the habaero peppers.
 Use at least six, or more habaeros, depending upon their size and the
maker's taste.
 Combine all ingredients and liquefy in a blender. For a thinner sauce add
more Goya Hot Sauce.

A half cup of Silver Bill's Garbaero Tonguetwister  is rumored to be
capable of reviving a horse that's been dead less than an hour.

