IT'S A PARTY IN YOUR MOUTH! Thursday's Recipe

HOT FUDGE CHEESECAKE
Need I say more? For one 7" cheesecake:
Ingredients:
1 cup crushed saltine crackers
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
3 tablespoons sugar
6 (1-ounce) squares semisweet chocolate
3/4 cup butter or margarine
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3 large eggs
Hot Fudge Sauce :
Ingredients
1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preparation: Combine chocolate morsels and half-and-half in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; stir in butter and vanilla. Serve warm.
Yields 2 cups

Garnish: fresh mint sprigs

Preparation!
Combine first 4 ingredients; stir well. Firmly press onto bottom and 2 1/2" up sides of a lightly greased 7" springform pan. Bake at 350° for 8 minutes. Remove to a wire rack; let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 300°.
Combine chocolate squares and 3/4 cup butter in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until mixture is melted and smooth, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and let cool.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed of an electric mixer until creamy. Add 3/4 cup sugar; beat well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in cooled chocolate mixture. Pour into prepared crust.

Bake at 300° for 50 minutes to 1 hour or until almost set. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake cool in oven 30 minutes. Remove to a wire rack; let cool to room temperature.

Remove sides of pan. Serve cheesecake with Hot Fudge Sauce. Garnish, if desired.