Strawberry-Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Pie

This is a nice, light, refreshing pie.  A graham cracker crust is filled with a light cream cheese-ricotta filling, then topped with a fresh strawberry topping.

Strawberry-Vanilla Bean Cheesecake Pie 

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon honey
1 (8-ounce) package reduced fat cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
2/3 cup granulated sugar, plus an additional 5 tablespoons
1 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped out
1 large egg
5 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 quart strawberries, stemmed, sliced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, butter and honey until well combined; press into a 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together cream cheese and ricotta cheese until smooth. Beat in 2/3 cup sugar and vanilla bean seeds until combined. Beat in egg until just combined; pour into prepared crust. Bake for 20 minutes or until set, and wobbles only slightly. Cool for 45 minutes before lightly covering and transferring to refrigerator to cool completely, at least 2 hours.

To make the strawberry sauce, in a large nonstick skillet, stir together additional 5 tablespoons sugar, water and cornstarch until combined. Turn heat on to medium and bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently; stir in strawberries and cook for 3-4 minutes or until fragrant and mixture starts to thicken up. Transfer strawberries and juices to a bowl and cool for 15 minutes before lightly covering and transferring to refrigerator to cool completely; serve strawberry sauce over sliced cheesecake pie.

Makes 8 servings