Maple Ridge's Home Town Hero and Paralympian Nathan Stein thinks his Grandma Jan Christensen is something special. And he thinks her cranberry and white chocolate cheesecake could win a gold medal in any competition.

"I eat it all the time, it's soooo good," the 2012 London Games silver-medal swimmer explained.

"My Grandma does some crazy stuff with her food. She's amazing!" he added.

"He's just partial to Grandma," Grandma Christensen explained.

"Cheesecake is one of his favourite things, aside from lasagna. He likes to eat" she added.

Cranberry and white chocolate cheesecake

Ingredients:

4 oz. white chocolate, chopped

500 g cream cheese

¾ cup granulated sugar

3 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

pinch salt

3 cups sour cream

Base:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

2 tbsp. butter

2 oz. white chocolate, chopped

Glaze:

2 cups cranberries

¹/3 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp. cornstarch

Base: Stir crumbs with butter until well moistened, stir in chocolate. Press into bottom of greased nine-inch springform pan. Centre pan on 20x14 inch piece of foil; press up tightly around side of pan. Bake in 325ºF oven for eight minutes. Let cool on rack.

In small bowl set over hot (not boiling) water, melt chocolate. Let cool.

In large bowl, beat cream cheese until softened. Gradually beat in sugar, beat for three minutes or until fluffy. On low speed, beat in eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in vanilla, chocolate, and salt. Stir in sour cream.

Pour onto base. Set pan in shallow larger pan, pour in enough hot water to come one inch up side. Bake in 325ºF oven for 1¼ hours or until edge is set but centre still jiggles slightly. Turn oven off, let cool in oven for one hour. Remove from larger pan and remove foil, let cool on rack. Cover and refrigerate overnight or up to two days.

Glaze: In saucepan, cook cranberries and 1/3 cup water, partially covered, just until boiling. Stir in sugar and return to boil, cook for two minutes or until sugar is dissolved but berries have not popped. Drain. Set berries aside.

Remove cake from pan; place on cake plate. Return juice to saucepan, blend in cornstarch. Cook, whisking, until boiling and thickened. Let cool slightly. Spoon berries around edge of cake. Spoon glaze over top.

Refrigerate for one hour or longer.