Cheesecake for (patient) Dummies

It's difficult to remember just how or when cheesecake became my favorite dessert. It is not so difficult to remember when I first learned to make cheesecake. It was a few days after it became my favorite dessert. Here is my simple recipe for an 8 to 9" cheesecake. I warn you; while simple, it is a tedious endeavor requiring patience.

You should prep before you open the oven. The biggest thing is room temperature of the ingredients. That means setting out the eggs and cream cheese before you start; other dairy can be set out closer to preparation.

Cheesecake is made with less than five (5) ingredients so when shopping, go for the best you can afford because there isn't much in there. Those ingredients are cream cheese (I prefer Philadelphia), sour cream (Breakstone's), sugar, eggs and vanilla extract (McCormick). If making a New York Style Cheesecake, substitute heavy cream for sour cream. New York-style cheesecakes are denser and thicker.

Preheat your oven to 345 degrees. This is a great time to make your crust. You could buy a ready-made crust, but if you are going to do this thing why not go all the way. Besides the crust is for some the best part. Crumble enough graham crackers to make 2- 2 ½ Cups of graham cracker crumbs. Combine graham cracker crumbs, 2 tablespoons of sugar, 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and 1lb of softened butter (4 sticks). Line the bottom of an 8 or 9" spring form pan with the mixture. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes. Let crust cool.

Your goal for the batter is simple: Smooth and thick and velvety. Lumps generally come from the cream cheese, so spend plenty of time beating the cream cheese smooth (I do it by hand which is a work-out but worth it). Add the sugar gradually. Sugar liquefies and can make the mix too runny. The same goes for eggs, add one by one, beating the batter just until each egg has been incorporated. If you must use an electric mixer, use the slowest mixer speed. Don't over mix because too much air in the batter will make the cheesecake crack as it cools.

Pour the finished batter into the cooled crust; make sure your oven is at the right (345 degrees) temperature. If it's off say 15-25 degrees, it can make a big difference. I add a water bath (water in an oven-safe glass baking dish to help avoid cracks in the top. You'll want to bake for about 45 to 50 minutes.

You can't use a toothpick to test for doneness as with a traditional cake. It's all about eyeballing it. When the center has slightly more movement than Jello and you begin to see browning, it's done. The cake should cool slowly. Turn the oven off, crack the door and wait for it to come to room temperature. Once at room temperature, place cheesecake in the refrigerator for 4 hours (overnight if time permits).

If you finish with something that is dense, thick and rich you have gotten it right. Another way to measure your success is how quickly the cheesecake disappears.

Philadelphia®, Breakstones®, McCormick® and Jello® are all registered trademarks