As someone who has two stents in his heart arteries, I should not be giving a thought to making cheesecake. But how much temptation can a guy withstand? Funny thing is that I don't indulge in sweets on a daily basis. I rarely have desert and don't crave it. However, sweets that I do like on occasion are ones which are ridiculously sweet and rich, nothing half way. Maybe I'll get over this current fascination without doing anything hazardous to my health. Then again, maybe not. We shall see.

BTW, I'm not trying to lay a guilt trip on those enablers who are posting recipes. Really, I'm not. :-)

So far, out of 3 recipes, 2 have flour. One has ricotta. Looks like I better start a spreadsheet to tallly all the variations.

Jim

Jim:
Why don't you try half a serving and eat it slower,
to savor all the tastes.
lou

I like cheese cake. When I go to a restaurant, half of the time I will order cheese cake for dessert. I’ve never asked what kind of cheese cake, so I don’t know how many different kinds I have tried.

I have had cheesecake with ice cream on top; I have had cheesecake ice cream, and finally I made cheesecake with ice cream in it. I used chocolate ice cream because that’s what I had in the freezer.

Sorry Lou, I did not use your recipe. I didn’t want to ask you to post your recipe here. I did find a few googling it. All I can say is that I will make it again.

Jim, I know there will be many people ask me to leave this CF for what I am about to suggest to you:

Try tofu cheesecake :-)

dcarch

Lars makes tofu cheesecake I believe. Lars?

My DH doesn't care for baked cheesecake but loves the gelatin-set kind, so that's what I usually make.

I didn't realize you need to duck when mentioning the gelatin set type. That's the only type my mom makes and I like it, relatively light. Of course I like baked as well but being someone who enjoys the meal more than the dessert, there's rarely room left.

I didn't realize you need to duck when mentioning the gelatin set type. That's the only type my mom makes and I like it, relatively light. Of course I like baked as well but being someone who enjoys the meal more than the dessert, there's rarely room left.

If I'm going to eat cheesecake than I want the really dense, creamy, decadently rich version. I guess you would call it the "New York Style".

Ann

amen, AnnT...

and I still use a recipe that McCalls printed decades ago which has a cookie crust (not crumb) and purports to be Lindy's recipe.

anybody want it?

kay

Sure I would like to see the recipe kay. I have several recipes, all produce a lightly different texture, and the one that is my favorite is the one that I may have in the oven at any given point. Sometimes I like the dense thick ones, sometimes I like the super silky custardy ones, sometimes I like them plain, sometimes with fruit toppings of flavors blended in. It all depends on my mood.

Alexa

"...purports to be Lindy's recipe.

anybody want it?"

I think this thread needs that recipe as a benchmark for comparing other recipes. Please post it.

Jim

LINDY'S CHEESECAKE

Makes 16 servings
Source: McCall's Magazine, October 1982:
Use 9" springform pan
"One of New York's most famous mid 20th century restaurants was Lindy's. It was jammed night after night with Broadway's brightest stars, but the main attraction was its famous cheesecake. Though Lindy's is long gone now, you can still enjoy what many think is the greatest cheesecake ever made. Serve it glazed with pineapple, unglazed or with sour cream spread thick and smooth on top. With only a few minor changes, our recipe is just like the one used at Lindy's. You'll find the same crisp cookie crust and the daringly rich cream cheese filling, touched with just a hint of lemon." (McCalls Magazine)

COOKIE CRUST
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup softened butter
FILLING
5 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 tbsps flour
2 tsps grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tsps grated orange zest
1/4 tsp pure vanilla extract
5 large eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup heavy cream
PINEAPPLE GLAZE
2 tbsps sugar
4 tsps cornstarch
2 8-ounce cans undrained crushed pineapple in heavy syrup
2 tbsps lemon juice

COOKIE CRUST: Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease inside of pan and seperate bottom from sides.. In a mediuim bowl, combine flour, sugar, lemon peel and vanilla. Make a well in the center and blend in yolk and butter. Mix with fingertips until smooth. Form one half of dough into a ball and place on bottom of pan. Place waxed paper on top of dough and roll to edge of pan. Removed paper and bake 6 to 8 minutes or until golden. Meanwhile, on dampened surface, between waxed paper strips, roll rest of dough into three strips, 2 1/2" x 9". Assemble pan with baked crust on bottom and line inside of pan with pastry strips, overlapping ends. Remove waxed paper strips. ((This is a lot of trouble, but I much prefer it to the more common crumb crust.))

FILLING: Preheat oven to 500°F. In a large MIXER bowl, blend cream cheese, sugar, flour, peels and vanilla at high speed. Beat in eggs and yolks, one at a time. Beat until smooth, occascionally scraping bowl with spatula. Beat in cream. Pour onto prepared crust in springform pan. Bake 10 minutes and lower oven to 250°F and bake one hour longer. Remove to rack to cool for two hours

GLAZE:In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in remaining ingredients. Over medium heat, bring to boil, stirring often. Boil 1 minute or until thickened and transluscent. Cool. Spread over surface of cooled cheesecake (still in springform pan). Cover and refrigerate three hours or overnight. To serve, loosen pastry crust from side of pan with spatula. Remove side of pan, but not the bottom. Cut into wedge

kayskats,

That's the same recipe I've always used but mine is from my red plaid BHG cookbook and called Supreme Cheesecake. The cookbook's from the early 70's, or around that time. Love the light lemon cookie crust. I've made that cheesecake at least 50 times. Frankly, I like it better than Junior's in NYC. Strange though 'cause I have no idea who "Lindy" is??

/tricia

I had cheesecake at Lindy's on my very first trip to NYC in the mid 50's. I loved it and when I found the recipe I posted above, I was delighted. I have made it many, many times and actually had a 'cooking class' for one friend who wanted to learn to make it.

Following are some facts I found about the original Lindy's and its questionable namesake operating today.

Lindy's New York Deli

A New York City icon, it was opened by Leo "Lindy" Lindermann (who died in 1957) and his wife Clara on August 20, 1921. A second location was added at 1655 Broadway.

The famous and the infamous loved Lindy's, the deli food and decadent cheesecake were favorites from the elite to the criminal. Damon Runyon was a big fan and wrote the restaurant into his books as "Mindy's." The musical Guys and Dolls, based on Runyon's writings, immortalizes Lindy's in one of its songs.

Milton Berle frequented Lindy's almost on a nightly basis. One of the less favorite stories that made Lindy's famous happened on April 5, 1956. Abraham Telvi, a mobster and hit man, attacked journalist Victor Riesel with acid, blinding him as he left the restaurant.

The original Lindy's location closed in 1957.In 1969, the 1655 Broadway location was acquired by Longchamps restaurants, who closed the restaurant in September 1969 to convert it into a steak house (it became a Steak & Brew and later a Beefsteak Charlie's).

The "Lindy's" name and concept was resurrected in 1979 by New York City restaurant operator the Riese Organization, who determined that the name had fallen into the public domain, and later obtained the trademark."

the above comes from various sources. Evidently smeone is still operating under the name Lindy's at 825 7th Ave
.... the cheesecake and the prices were panned in some reviews I wrote.

My favourite is a Bailey's cheesecake. What I do is freeze it and take a piece when I am craving. I also eat it in place of a meal usually, whether it be lunch or breakfast, never dinner as I have the rest of the family to think of. I love cheesecake but not sweets so much. Others I have made are pumpkin, white chocolate raspberry, new york, egg nog, apple, 2 step and many with fruit topping. Loved them all.

My filling recipe is identical to kats, minus the orange, but it comes from the W omen's Day Encyclopedia of Cooking. The crust and topping is different but the filling is identical.

I love it, tall, cheesy, creamy yet crumbly, if that makes any sense. A perfect cheesecake IMHO.

I always get great comments with my cheesecake.
I made it for Thanksgiving and everybody was asking who made it. One nephew said he wasn't sure about the cheesecake but after tasting it wished he took a bigger piece!

I use a graham crumb base and prebake it for 5-8 minutes.

1-1/4 cups graham crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
1/3 cup melted butter

For the filling, I use:

3 pkgs Philadelphia cream cheese
3/4 cup white sugar
1 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

It's important to have your cream cheese at room temperature so that it creams easier.

Cream the cheese, sugar, and vanilla until it's really creamy. This is the only chance you get to make the mixture creamy.

Once it's very creamy, add 3 eggs. ONE AT A TIME.
Mix only until the egg is COMBINED...NO MORE!
If you mix it more, the cake will rise and go down when it's baked, thus creating cracks. (This is an important step!)

Bake in preheated 350F oven for 40 minutes.

I NEVER use a bain-marie, and never get any cracks.
I use a 9-inch round springform cake pan.

I make strawberry preserves to serve with the cheesecake. Everybody can pour as much or as little as they want.

I fill a pot with frozen strawberries and add some white sugar. Cook it over medium heat for 20-30 minutes. Taste the syrup to see if it's sweet enough for you. If not, add more sugar. Mash some of the strawberries with potato masher. Then I thicken the syrup with a cornstarch/water mixture, cook for 1-2 minutes more...that's it!

Chase, I think the orange zest is one of the changes that McCall said they made ... to compliment the pineapple glaze topping. I do know that the original Lindy's used a cookie crust (not crumbs) and the lemon zest. I can't recall what topping I had when I ate at Lindys ... probably plain.

kay

Jim,
In the mid 1970's I lived on the beach in St. Pete, FL. I befriended a retired Italian gentleman who strolled the beach each day. Over the month's we became fast friends. Love of great food was our common interest and we often took jaunts to new restaurants and food purveyors. His name was Tony Manconi and he made the most fantastic cheesecake I had ever tasted. He said the recipe was a family secret and it took me almost a year to coax it out of him. Tony has long since past but his recipe lives on. It's has become my go to cheesecake recipe. My DD is now the family cheesecake maven and her variations on Tony's recipe abound. This cake is prone to cracking though I find if I put a pan of boiling water in the oven the steam helps eliminate the cracking.

Tony Manconi’s Cheesecake

Graham cracker crumbs
1 lb. ricotta cheese
2 8 oz. packages cream cheese (softened)
1½ cups sugar
4 eggs, slightly beaten
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla
½ cup butter or margarine (melted)
1 pint sour cream

Preheat oven to 325.
Grease a 9” springform pan; dust with graham cracker crumbs.
In a large bowl, add ricotta and cream cheese.
Beat at high speed until creamy.
Continue to beat at high speed adding sugar then eggs. Reduce mixer speed to low.
Add cornstarch, lemon juice and vanilla. Beat until blended.
Add butter and sour cream. Beat at low speed.
Pour into pan.
Bake at 325 or 1 hour and 10 minutes.
Turn off oven.
Do not open oven door.
Let cake stand in oven 2 hours.
Remove cake from oven cool completely on wire rack.

OK, this one isn't T&T. It was in my local newspaper a few weeks ago, and seems like a novelty type recipe to try sometime when you don't want to wait for a real cheesecake. Or something the kiddoes would make.

Microwave Lime Cheesecake

3 tbsp melted butter
1/2 c graham cracker crumbs
1 tbsp sugar

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/3c sugar
zest of one lime
2 tbsp lime juice
1 egg

Combine first three ingredients for crust. Press into bottoms of 4 1 c. ramekins. Mix remaining ingredients until smooth. Divide evenly among the ramekins.

Cook in microwave for 2 minutes. The tops should appear dry when cooked, so if 2 min isn't enough, add 30 seconds at a time until they are done. Chill for at least 1 hour.

Seems like I prefer a sort of hybrid. I don't eat many dense things. I do like a true shortbread cookie, a good Italian creme cake, and that's it. But for cheesecake, some body is what I want. Here are my two favorites:

Cooking Light
Black Forest Cherry Cheesecake

Dark, sweet cherries offset the filling and crust for a dramatic look and the best taste.

Yield: 16 servings

Cherry topping:
2 cups pitted dark sweet cherries
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons cornstarch

Crust:
1 1/3 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs (about 9 1/2 cookie sheets)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter or stick margarine, melted
1 large egg white
Cooking spray

Filling:
1 cup fat-free sour cream
1/2 cup fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1 (8-ounce) block 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1 (8-ounce) block fat-free cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate minichips
36 dark sweet cherries, pitted and halved

To prepare the cherry topping, place 2 cups cherries in a blender or food processor, and process until smooth. Combine the pureed cherries, 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice, and cornstarch in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Pour cherry topping into a bowl; cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare the crust, combine crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, butter, and egg white in a bowl; toss with a fork until well-blended. Press crumb mixture into the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes; cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 300°.

To prepare the filling, combine sour cream, milk, and cheeses in a large bowl. Beat at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended. Add 1 1/4 cups sugar, cocoa, vanilla, and eggs; beat well. Stir in minichips. Pour cheese mixture into prepared pan. Bake at 300° for 50 minutes or until almost set (center will not be firm, but will set up as it chills). Turn oven off; cool cheesecake in closed oven 40 minutes. Remove from oven; cool on a wire rack. Spread cherry topping over cheesecake. Top with cherry halves. Cover and chill 8 hours.

CALORIES 292 (25% from fat); FAT 8.1g (sat 4.3g,mono 2.5g,poly 0.7g); IRON 0.8mg; CHOLESTEROL 43mg; CALCIUM 106mg; CARBOHYDRATE 47.5g; SODIUM 233mg; PROTEIN 7.6g; FIBER 1.1g
Cooking Light, JULY 2000

_________________________________________________________________

Actually, these are totally fluff. But they have that good ol' tang of cream cheese.
Cookies and Creme Cheesecakes

42 Oreos, 30 left whole and 12 coarsely chopped
2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup sour cream
pinch of salt
Preheat oven to 275°. Line standard muffin pans with liners. Place 1 whole cookie in the bottom of each liner.

Beat cream cheese at medium speed using an electric mixer. Gradually sugar, beating until combined. Beat in vanilla.

Drizzle in eggs, a bit at a time. Beat in sour cream and salt. Stir in chopped cookies.

Divide batter among pans. Bake for about 22 minutes or until filling is set.

Cool completely on wire racks. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight. Remove from pans just before serving.

Makes 30 cheesecakes.

My favourite is one I have been making since 1981. Praline Cheesecake.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Praline Cheesecake
==================
(Toronto Star Newspaper: 1981)

1-1/4 cups crushed graham crackers
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans toasted
1/4 cup butter melted
3 - 8 oz packages cream cheese
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup evaporated milk NOte: I used coffee cream
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup pecan halves toasted.

Caramel Sauce topping

1 cup corn syrup - dark
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons Brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
. Combine graham crackers, sugar, pecans and stir in melted butter.
Press mixture over the bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of a 9" ich
spring pan.

Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese, 1 cup brown sugar, evaporated milk, flour and
vanilla. Add egss and beat until just blended. pour into crust. Bake
50 to 55 minutes or until set.

Cool in pan for 30 minutes. Loosen sides and remove rim. Cool
completely. Arrange toasted pecans on top of cake decoratively.

Make Topping by combining corn syrup, cornstarch and brown sugar in a
small saucepan. Cook and stir until thickened. Remove from heat and
add vanilla.

To serve cake, Pour sauce over top and serve remaining sauce in a
pitcher at the table.

NOTE: I baked the cake in a Baine Marie. I wrapped foil around the
outside of the springform pan to prevent any water from seeping in to
the cake.

Nnte: I use my regular caramel sauce instead of the one mentioned
above:

Caramel Sauce

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup cream
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mix all the ingredients together and simmer for about 5 or 6 minutes.

Serve over Bread and butter pudding, apple pie and ice cream, warm
gingerbread, etc..

============================================================
White Chocolate Cheesecake

White Chocolate Cheesecake
==========================

Adapted from http://www.dianasdesserts.com
Dulce de Leche Cheesecake recipe

Crust

1-1/2 cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons melted butter

Mix together and pat into bottom of a spring form pan lined with Buttered parchment paper. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool

Filling:
3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese (24 oz. total)
1 cup superfine granulated sugar
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/3 cup heavy cream
6 ounces melted quality white chocolate

Reset oven temperature to 325°F (160°C).

Melt white chocolate with heavy cream. Stir until smooth. Set aside to cool.

With an electric mixer beat cream cheese, sugar and flour together until well mixed and smooth. Add vanilla and beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until smooth.Add the melted chocolate cream mixture. Stir until smooth.

Pour plain batter over crust.

Wrap foil around the bottom and up the sides of the pan.

Place in a shallow pan and pour in hot water. (Bain Marie)

7 Bake in preheated 325°F (160°C) oven for 50 to 60 minutes or until center is almost set.Remove from the oven and let cool. When cool refrigerate overnight or for at least 4 or 5 hours.

Drizzle with white chocolate and or Dulce de Leche.

moosemac,

That's a nicely told story about your Italian friend and his cheesecake. I don't wish to start a lengthy discussion about cracking and bain maries here because there is an entire thread on that topic. However, something you said caught my attention. You said, "This cake is prone to cracking though I find if I put a pan of boiling water in the oven the steam helps eliminate the cracking." Could it be that bain maries prevent cracking for exactly the same reason?

Ann,

Your cheesecakes are works of art. No doubt they taste as good as good as they look.

Jim

Posted by jimster "---------Ann,
Your cheesecakes are works of art. No doubt they taste as good as good as they look.
Jim"

Understatment of the year! Mr. Gregory Peck. :-)

dcarch

This is the best ricotta cheese cake I have had. I usually make it for special occasions once or twice a year...

Here is a link that might be useful: Ricotta Cheese Cake

A bain marie prevents cracking because it prevents sharp fluctuations in temperature within the cake.
Perhaps a pan of water in the oven would also help maintain a more even temperature? maybe, but I suspect any lessening in cracking is coincidental.
Linda C

Thanks to the information everyone is contributing, I'm starting to form a concept of cheesecake in my mind. Several concepts actually, because it turns out to be a many-faceted subject. Today I shopped for ingredients to make one of the types of cheesecake. I may do something dangerous such as improvising a hybrid from more than one recipe. Terrible idea probably but...

Jim

"A bain marie prevents cracking because it prevents sharp fluctuations in temperature within the cake."

Maybe. But how do we know?

Here is another possibility. A bain marie prevents cracking because it prevents drying of the surface of the cake.

Jim

I made Caliloo's Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake on Friday to take to our fall festival on Saturday. Lovely to look at and no cracks but I didn't think about moving it to a cake board, when I did part of it fell apart.

For the gingersnap crust:
About 40 gingersnap wafers (to yield 2 cups cookie crumbs)
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2-1/2 oz. (5 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
For the filling:
2 lb. (four 8-oz. packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp. table salt
4 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
One 15-oz. can pure solid-pack pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.

Make the crust: Pulse the cookies and brown sugar in a food processor until well combined and the crumbs are uniform. Transfer to a medium bowl; add the melted butter. Combine thoroughly, first with a spoon and then with your fingers, until the mixture is evenly moist, crumbly, and holds together when you squeeze a handful. Press the mixture evenly over the bottom and partway up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Chill for 5 minutes and then bake for 10 minutes. Let cool.

Make the filling: Heat a kettle of water. With an electric mixer or a wooden spoon, beat the cream cheese until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and salt. Add this mixture to the cream cheese. Beat until well blended, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, making sure each is thoroughly incorporated before adding the next, and scraping down the bowl after each. Blend in the vanilla and pumpkin.

Scrape the batter into the cooled crust. The batter will come up past the crust and will fill the pan to the rim. Tap the pan gently once or twice on the counter to release any air bubbles. Set the pan in a larger baking dish (a roasting pan is good), and add enough hot water from the kettle to come about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Bake until the top of the cake looks deep golden and burnished and the center is set (the cake may just barely begin to crack), 1 hour 35 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. The cake will jiggle a little bit when tapped. The top may rise a bit but will settle as it cools. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and run a thin-bladed knife between the crust and the pan sides (this will prevent the cake from breaking as it cools). Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature in the pan on a wire rack. Cover and chill overnight.
nutrition information (per serving):
Size: based on 16 servings; Calories (kcal): 410; Fat (g): 27; Fat Calories (kcal): 240; Saturated Fat (g): 16; Protein (g): 7; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 8; Carbohydrates (g): 36; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 1; Sodium (mg): 320; Cholesterol (mg): 155; Fiber (g): 1;

I didn't take it, but it is delicious!

Di

From baking 911... this is one of the better explanations I've read regarding the use/need for a bain marie.

************************************************

An oven or on a stovetop waterbath is typically used with delicate foods and egg-based desserts, such as custards or cheesecakes and egg-based sauces, that would curdle, break, crack or scorch under too much heat. The lower temperature prevents the egg proteins in the recipe from toughening when exposed to high temperatures. It also helps to prevent overcooking them which causes the egg proteins to overcoagulate and shrink when cooled, the classic cause of cracking in recipes! A waterbath also prevents crust formation on a custard or other egg-based dessert. With it, you also get a cheesecake recipe that is creamy almost custard-like, moist and rich.

Here is a link that might be useful: baking 911 bain marie

Ann--You posted the same recipe for Praline Cheesecake that I did! Except that I don't use pecans in the crust & don't toast the pecans.

Wow. That is great info re cheesecake and bain maries, Alexa. Very Alton Brown-like. All that remains is to apply the knowledge to specific recipes.

Oh, and solving the leakage problem with aluminum foil. Foil punctures so easily. A tiny hole doesn't matter in most applications. When the foil must be a watertight barrier a pin prick is disastrous. Try heavy duty foil and be scrupulously careful in handling it. Or use the bags Jessy suggested.

Jim

Ci_lantro, Yes, I noticed it was very similar except for the crust and the toasted pecans.

Ann

One more piece of advice from personal perspective. It is worth investing in silicone mitts if you are going to be using a bain marie for baking since you need to remove the baked goods from the hot water right after removing them from the oven (Otherwise they keep cooking in the hot water). Cloth mitts can and will get wet and water is an amazing conductor of heat. I have gotten some nasty burns using cloth mitts with a bain marie or by grabbing a damp kitchen linen to use as a pot holder.

Just trying to save some skin on fellow CFers.

A

Posted by caliloo ---"One more piece of advice from personal perspective. It is worth investing in silicone mitts -----A "

Great tip.

Every kitchen should have a pair. Very nice to have for BBQ also.

They clean up easy. Just throw them in the dish washer.

dcarch

punamytsike......I kept thinking that name sounded familiar!

I used to follow your work on the home decorating forum! Beautiful, just beautiful work you do! You are so creative and artistic, I am glad I finally remembered where I'd seen your name before. I'm off to go check out your home page.

On topic, thanks for the cheesecake recipe.

Di

Thank you Di. The home page on garden web is really old. Not sure how to change it. For my more recent projects, link is below. I hope no- one minds.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Designs - will eventually add more to it in the future ;)

Thanks Ann, That is what I was looking for, however there aren't very many chocolate cheese cake recipes listed in this thread. I was hoping to find more.

Since you requested chocolate cheesecakes, I will start with my FAVORITE holiday cheesecake ... Pumpkin chocolate cheesecake. It's actually a pumpkin cheesecake with a layer of chocolate mousse and a layer of chocolate ganache. I have stopped making pumpkin pie because everyone prefers the cheesecake...

Pumpkin Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Graham Cracker Crust:
1-1/2 cups graham-cracker crumbs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tbsp. butter, melted

Pumpkin Cheesecake:
3- 8 ounce bars cream cheese
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
5 large eggs
16 oz. solid-pack pumpkin, canned
1/2 tsp. cinnamon*
1/2 tsp. nutmeg*
1/4 tsp. cloves*
1/4 tsp. allspice*
1/2 cup heavy cream
* or use 1-1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Chocolate Mousse:
2 cups heavy cream
8 oz. semisweet chocolate
5 egg yolks
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp. water

Ganache:
1/4 cup heavy cream
4 tbsp. unsalted butter
9 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions:

Mix graham-cracker crumbs and sugar together. Blend in melted butter. Press into a 9-inch springform pan. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugars and blend. Scrape bowl with a plastic spatula to avoid lumps. Add eggs, one at a time, blend in and scrape the bowl after each addition.

Blend in pumpkin and spices. Blend in heavy cream. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until center just sets. Cool. Chill.

Blend in pumpkin and spices. Blend in heavy cream. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until center just sets. Cool. Chill.

Whip heavy cream to medium peak. Set aside. Melt chocolate over double boiler. Set aside. Whip yolks until pale. Boil sugar and water to 245 F. (If you do not have a candy thermometer, use a teaspoon to spoon out some of the syrup and drop it into ice water. A soft ball of sugar should form in the ice water.) Pour the hot sugar into the yolks while whipping, and continue whipping to cool. Add 1/4 of the whipped cream to the cooled yolk mixture. Add the chocolate. Fold in the rest of the whipped cream. Pour on top of the pumpkin cheesecake and freeze for 24 hours.

In a small saucepot, bring the cream and butter to a boil. Pour over chopped chocolate, and stir until smooth.

To serve:

Unmold the cheesecake and, while it is frozen, pour ganache over the top and let drizzle down the side. Refrigerate until serving time.

------

Also, since chocolate turtle cheesecake was mentioned, one of the recipes from allrecipes is very good:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chocolate-Turtle-Cheesecake-I/Detail.aspx

--------

Both are at their best texture when cooked in a water bath, but that is true of almost all cheesecakes.

Hope that helps!

Shawnalyn, That sounds wonderful. Now I'm confused I have several to choose from.

Thanks to everyone!

Karen

Glad to help! If you aren't sure which to make, the pumpkin chocolate cheesecake is AMAZING! I literally cannot get anyone to touch another dessert when it's out (which is fine by me since that means that there is plenty of apple pie leftover for an apple pie and champagne breakfast the day after thanksgiving).

Another "old" thread comment, but that breakfast sounds to die for shawnalyn! Not just for after Thanksgiving. Mmm.

I made this one for our Christmas Dinner..

and yesterdays breakfast..

Here is a link that might be useful: Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

I have never made a cheesecake so can't recommend any recipes for them but I've eaten many types of cheesecake over the years. My favorite style is the Italian cheese cakes/pies made with ricotta like Lou posted.

Now that I think of it, I have made this recipe many times and it could probably fit under a broad definition of a cheesecake. I'll include it for your research, Jim.

[Sorry these directions are so long but my stepfather used to make this with just a list of ingredients on a scrap of paper. I finally got him to write down the instructions. There are easier versions of this that don't involve cooking the cheese mixture but this one comes out so creamy that it's worth the extra step.]

PASKA (Ukrainian Easter Cheese)

1 1/2 cups sugar
7 egg yolks
2 1/4 lb. dry curd cottage cheese
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup blanched almonds, chopped fine
1/2 cup chopped candied or dried fruits
1 - 2 Tbs. liqueur
Grated rind of 1/2 lemon
15 Tbs. soft butter
2 tsp. vanilla

Scrub a 6 inch clay pot (measured across the top) thoroughly with a brush and soap and water. Rinse inside and out with hot running water; wipe dry and bake in a 300 degree oven for an hour or until thoroughly dry. Let the cheese, butter, egg yolks stand covered at room temperature for 2 hours. Mix fruits with liqueur. Place sugar and yolks in a mixing bowl; beat until light and lemon colored. Set aside. Break up cheese. Put half in the container of an electric blender. Add half the yolk mixture; blend at low speed until smooth. Scald the heavy cream; add half to blender. Blend until smooth. Empty into a saucepan. Repeat with the remaining yolk mixture, cheese and cream. Add salt and mix.

Heat the mixture over low heat, stirring, until it thickens slightly. Do not allow it to boil. Remove from heat; add fruit, nuts and lemon rind. Put the mixture in a cool spot until it is completely cool. Place butter in a mixing bowl; beat until soft, fluffy and pale. This will take several minutes. Using a rubber spatula, stir and fold this into the cooled mixture. Add vanilla. The mixture should be very well blended.

The flower pot must be thoroughly cooled before using. Cut off a large length of cheesecloth, rinse in cold water and squeeze until it is almost dry. Line the flower pot with a double layer of the damp cheesecloth. Allow the cheesecloth to extend way over the edges of the flower pot. Place the pot on a rack over a shallow pan. Pour in the paska mixture. Fold edges of the cheesecloth over top. Cover top with foil. Fit a small saucepan into the top of flower pot and weight down to press on mixture. Place in refrigerator for at least 24 hours. Whey will drain into the shallow pan. Run a knife around between cheesecloth and flower pot to loosen paska; open up cheesecloth to expose the top of the paska. Put serving plate on the top and gently turn over; ease paska out. Carefully remove cheesecloth. Garnish with fresh or glazed fruits. Cut in small wedges. Serves 16.

Ruthanna:
Thank You.
I didn't make any Ricotta Cheese Cake this year, because my DD made 3 for Christmas weekend.

The PASKA cheesecake you Posted sounds good.

Hope you are fully recovered from the RTM incident?

Have a Happy New Year everyone.
LOU

Ruthanna,

Paska sounds good. It's been interesting to discover how many ethnic groups make a ricotta type cheesecake at Easter.

The amount of information that has developed on this thread is surprising and impressive. Now I need to figure out how to put it to use.

Jim

I'll add a couple of recipes to the list. One is my DS's from his baking and pastry in vocational school, which he has made into a pumpkin cheese cake, also. Please don't ask how much pumpkin or how he does it! I do know that he does it by taste, not by amt. The other is my no-bake cheese cake.

JASON� S CHEESE CAKE RECIPE

HALF SIZE

THIS IS HALF A RECIPE!!! IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A 9" SPRINFORM PAN SIZE, DOUBLE IT!

A half recipe will make an extra serving size store bought graham cracker crust full.

1 1/2# cream cheese, softened
1/2 c + 1/2 T sugar
1/2 T corn starch
2 eggs
1 1/2 T egg yolks (2 large yolks)
1/4 c. + 1 T heavy cream
3/8 t. vanilla

Beat the cream cheese until there are no lumps. Then add sugar & corn starch. Mix well. Add eggs & egg yolks. Mix. Add heavy cream, vanilla, & lemon flavoring. Mix.

Pour into crust. Set cheese cake in a larger pan with about 2" sides. Add about 1/2" water, to make a water bath. Do not get water in cheese cake.

Bake at 300* approx 1/2 to 1 hour until center is just set. Should barely jiggle when gently shaken. Remove from oven and let cool. Refrigerate overnight.

I made him cut the recipe in half, cause we can't eat it all with out getting sick on it! Oh, and I'm going to tell his secret. It's NOT in the recipe. He adds just a little lemon or lime juice. I caught him one day when he made it! I wondered why it didn't taste the same when I made it! LOL!

Mine is a No-Bake that I got from a grocery store years ago. It has a much sharper cream cheese flavor, but is good, and doesn't take much fuss.

1 8oz pkg cream cheese, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 c. sugar
maybe a little vanilla if you want.

Beat until creamy and there are no lumps of cream cheese. Pour into a graham cracker crust or crust of your choice.

Tami who just might be making Jason's for New Years Eve.

Okay, so there's New York style cheesecake, Italian Ricotta cheesecake...what other kinds are there, and how are they different from New York style? Maybe that's what you're trying to learn, Jim. I've never understood it myself.

However, what I do understand is that several years ago, someone on this forum (but sadly, I don't remember who it was) posted this recipe for Vanilla Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake. It's the only cheesecake I've ever made, and it's delicious. It's very easy, too. I made this for Christmas dinner, and it was a hit.

Vanilla Chocolate Swirl Cheesecake

Crust

1 9-oz. package chocolate wafer cookies
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled

Filling

3 8-oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled
6 oz. bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
1/4 cup whipping cream

For crust:

Position rack in the center of oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. (Hint: Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit inside the bottom of the pan before putting crust into pan. This makes it much easier to remove the cheesecake from the pan.) Grind cookies in pocessor. Add butter and process using on/off turns until crumbs are moist. Press crumbs on bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of 9-inch diameter springform pan with 2 3/4 inch-high sides. Wrap outside of pan with 2 or 3 layers of aluminum foil.

For filling:

Using a stand mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar and continue beating until mixture is light and fluffy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Mix in vanilla and butter.
Combine chocolate and whipping cream over a double boiler and stir until chocolate melts. Allow chocolate to cool slightly and then mix in 3/4 cup of cheese filling into melted chocolate.
Pour half of remaining cheese filling into prepared curst. Drop half of chocolate mixture by tablespoons around edge of filling, spacing evenly. Use the tip of a small knife to swirl chocolate into cheese filling. Carefully pour remaining cheese filling over. Drop remaining chocolate by tablespoons into center 6 inches of filling, spacing evenly. Swirl mixtures together usint tip of knife.

Bake cheesecake in a water bath until edges are slightly golden about 50 - 60 minutes (center will not be set). Remove cheesecake from water bath and cool on rack. Chill at least 6 hours. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead.) Run small sharp knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake. Release pan sides. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Transfer to platter and serve.

Sally

Here's my cheesecake recipe. I've been hauling it around and making it for 38 years. This recipe has spoiled my kids. They don't like any other cheesecake.

**Note: An 11" springform pan is important for this recipe. Otherwise the timing is off and the crust is too thick. (Ask me how I know!) Oven preheated to 350 degrees.

Crust:
1 1/2 C Graham Cracker crumbs
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp allspice
1/3 cup butter, melted

combine and spread onto bottom 11" springform pan, pressing with fingers to make it firm.

Mix with mixer until sugar is not granulated:

2 8 oz pkgs cream cheese, room temp.
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temp., beaten slightly
2 tsp vanilla

Pour into pan and spread if needed. Bake in preheated oven at 350 for 25 minutes. While it's baking, combine with mixer:

1 1/2 cups sour cream
4 TBSP sugar
2 tsp vanilla

After cheesecake has baked 25 minutes, spread sour cream mixture on top and place back in oven. Turn oven temp to 450 and bake for 7 minutes.