Raspberry Cream Cheese Pie

The preparation

12 steps, about 55 minutes start to finish.

1. 01

   1. Crush the cookies to fine crumbs, mix with the salt, then stir in the melted butter until the crumbs are evenly damp. No extra sugar: Biscoff brings plenty on its own.

2. 02

   2. Press the crumbs hard into a 9-inch pie pan with the flat bottom of a glass, sides first and then the base.

3. 03

   3. Bake at 325F for 8 to 10 minutes. The sugar melts and sets crisp as it cools, which is what buys you a clean slice later.

4. 04

   4. Cool the crust completely before filling. A warm crust goes soft and greasy. Once it stops steaming you can rush it in the freezer for 15 minutes.

5. 05

   5. Simmer the raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice until the berries break down, 5 to 8 minutes.

6. 06

   6. Strain while warm through a fine mesh sieve, pushing with the back of a ladle, and discard the seeds. Strain before you reduce: thin liquid goes through the sieve in a fraction of the time.

7. 07

   7. Reduce the strained puree until it is thick and glossy and mounds on a spoon, about 1 cup finished. Cool it completely over an ice bath.

8. 08

   8. Beat the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until perfectly smooth. Any lumps you leave here will show up in the slice.

9. 09

   9. In a separate cold bowl, whip the chilled cream to stiff peaks, then fold it into the cream cheese base in two or three additions.

10. 10

    10. Ribbon, don't mix: fold in about 1/2 cup of the cooled raspberry sauce with just a few strokes so it stays streaky. That marbling is the whole cross section.

11. 11

    11. Pile into the cooled crust, smooth the top, and spoon the rest of the sauce over in swirls.

12. 12

    12. Freeze 2 to 2 1/2 hours until firm (the fridge works too, it just takes 4 to 6 hours). Let it sit out 10 to 15 minutes before cutting, and slice with a hot dry knife, wiped between every cut.