I'm so very terrible at sticking to recipes! When I decide I want to cook something I start comparing at least half a dozen recipes. Then I tweak it 10 different ways and if it turns out to be delicious I tell the family to enjoy it now because who knows if it will come out the same way next time. sigh.
That was the case with the totally amazing cheesecake that I pulled out of my oven a little over a year ago. It was tall and pale and perfectly cooked. Then a friend asked if she could have the recipe. um, sure?
I remember having consulted Smitten Kitchen, Martha Stewart, The Joy of Cooking and Fannie Farmer among others. I used lemon zest and maybe juice, but no vanilla, and loads of cream cheese. Sour cream? Flour I don't recall. Yes, I used a water bath. I par baked the crust and I think I adjusted the oven temperature lower and allowed it to cool in the oven. I think.
My first re-attempt was not what I was hoping for. Too airy. Too short. "Not enough crust" said the family. But we suffered through and ate it. Tragic.
Then it was back into the kitchen. This time I sort of followed this Smitten Kitchen recipe. Sort of.
The Crust:
I really don't like cleaning the Cuisinart and for graham crackers you don't really need it. I've found that 1 1/4 tablespoons of butter for each full-sized graham cracker works really well.
I used a hand mixer on low instead of my Kitchen Aid. It made it easier to constantly scrape down the sides.
The Final Result:
Round 2 was more of what I what I was hoping for. It's dense and creamy. Lots of crust. It's about 85% there. The consistency is a bit too thick - maybe that is the flour? I like the lemon zest but not the lemon juice. Aesthetically, I wish it wasn't as yellow but that is pretty dependent on the egg yolks and what the chickens ate.
Some?Most? people like the skin that forms on the top a cheesecake. I don't. I've read that it is the sign of a true homemade cheesecake. To me it's like having fondant on your cake. I get out my simple cake leveler and fix that right up. There is also something to be said for a level oven. This cake was a smidge unlevel. That usually isn't an issue so I think when I sealed it for the water bath I didn't make sure it was sitting flat.
We will again suffer through this current version and I will give it one final tweak...or two... At least I have this recipe in writing to fall back on.
Crust:
15 graham crackers (3x5) finely ground
6 1/4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling:
4 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 large eggs, room temperature
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Butter a 9 inch springform pan. Mix together crust ingredients then press it into the bottom and 2 inches up the sides of the pan. Bake until set, about 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Reduce oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Beat cream cheese on low until smooth. Gradually add sugar, scraping down sides continually. Add lemon zest, lemon juice. Add flour. Add eggs and yolks one at a time. Make sure you keep scraping down the sides until everything is completely incorporated.
3. Boil water for water bath. Prepare pan by wrapping the bottom in aluminum foil* to prevent any water from getting in. Pour filling into springform pan. Set springform pan into a roasting pan and pour in enough boiling water to come about halfway up the side of the springform. Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 225 degrees F and continue baking for another 1 hour 15 minutes. Remove pan from water bath and cool completely. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
I topped mine with a quick sauce of 12 ounces of frozen blueberries, raspberries and blackberries plus 1/4 cup of sugar, 1/4 cup of water, the juice of 1/2 a lemon and 1 tablespoon of cornstarch all brought to a boil in a sauce pan to thicken and then cooled.
* I love love love these silicone tops from Lekue. I use them all the time in the kitchen. It occurred to me that they are perfect for sealing the springform pan in a water bath. They are oven safe, form a perfect seal and I never worry about water leaking past aluminum foil.
Serious love. Happy Dance kind of love. If I was Oprah, I would pass them out to the audience, if I still had a show and an audience and still did that sort of thing.
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