...birthday cheesecake...

Magen has requested the following cheesecake for her birthday in March...

Habanero Lime Cheesecake That Can Kill White People
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Crust:
1 1/2 cups of graham crackers ground into crumbs
Pinch o salt
1/3 cup melted butter

Filling:
3 habanero peppers
2 tablespoons sugar + 1 cup of sugar
24 ounces cream cheese
Pinch o salt
4 eggs
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 lime, zested
1 very juicy lime or 2 less juicy limes, juice 'em

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Make crust: Mix the crumbs and salt together in a small bowl, then add
butter and stir to mix. Set aside 1/4 cup crumbs for topping. Press
the rest into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Roast the
habaneros over burner and set them to steam under a towel or wrap them
in plastic wrap. When they are cool enough to handle. Peel and deseed
habaneros, then pound with the 2 tablespoons of sugar until you get a
coarse paste.

Cream the cream cheese, then add remaining sugar and salt. Beat in the
eggs 1 at a time. Add the cream and blend. Beat in the lime zest and
lime juice. Add the habanero paste and beat until well mixed. Pour
into the crust, then gently tap the pan to level the filling. Sprinkle
the reserved crumbs on top.

Bake for approximately 1 hour or until the cheesecake pulls away from
the edge of the pan. Remove from the oven and allow to set for 20
minutes. Wrap and keep in the refrigerator overnight.

Yield: 16 servings, depending on how hot you can handle it.