New York Cheesecake
articol scris de Nico blog chocolateoblivion.blogspot.com
We made and we have many recipes of baked cheesecakes but I think this one is the one we like the most, for the balance and flavor. From what I know, in New York they like the cheesecake rich, soft and creamy light with a crunchy crust. For an everyday dessert I would opt to make a cold gelatin-set cheesecake just because I consider this one to be special and I will keep this for special treats and occasions. To avoid lumps and ensure mixing without over-beating, is essential to have all the ingredients to a room temperature.
The way you are beating the ingredients is very important: under beating make a lumpy mixture and over beating can incorporate too much air and the result is a bubble, cracking and uneven cooking. Accompaniments to this cheesecake can be all nice fresh fruits but for winter you can use some compotes as well. This recipe is for 12 large portions or 16 medium like mine and I used a 30 cm cake spring-form tin.
Ingredients:
Crust:
- 400 gr crushed graham crackers or digestive biscuits
- 150 gr melted butter
- 100 gr sugar
Cake:
- 6 eggs
- 350 gr sugar
- 900 gr cream cheese, preferably Philadelphia
- 400 gr sour cream
- 1 large lemon ( juice and zest)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla essence or 1 vanilla bean
- 3 tablespoons flour
Sour cream topping:
- 300 gr sour cream
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
For the crust, melt the butter and stir in the biscuits and sugar. Press the mixture in a 30 cm cake form and bake for 10 minutes. Cool while preparing the filling.
With a hand mixer beat the cream cheese and sugar, gradually add the flour, vanilla, sour cream, lemon zest and juice.
Whisk in the eggs, one at the time and until blended, but don’t over-beat. Brush the side of the spring-form with melted butter and pour in the filling. Bake for 20 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 120 degrees C and bake for 20 minutes more. Turn off the oven and let cool in the oven for 2 hours. If you prefer a creamy texture, for the 2 hours of cooling time leave the oven door open.
For the topping combine the sour cream with honey and lemon juice and spread over the cheesecake. Refrigerate for at least 4 hour or overnight before serving.
To garnish - like you can see in the pictures - I used fresh strawberries with balsamic vinegar cream, fresh fruits or caramelized peaches, from compote, with fresh basil but you can use what you wish. Try with fresh passion fruits or serve it with grilled pineapple with mint sugar.
This is a fantastic dessert and not easy to find in restaurants because it needs care.
