Pump Toad: I put this recipe in about 100 times. Might as well do it again. You can use whatever topping you like. I just spread on some StrawBerry Preserves. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - LOU'S - FLUFFY CHEESECAKE Ingredients: 6 extra large eggs, Separated 1 cup of Vanilla Ice Cream ( softened ) 1 ¼ Cups of Sugar ( ¾ cup for Batter and ½ cup for the Egg Whites ) 1 /4 pound of Butter (softened in micro wave and let cool but still soft) 2 packs of Philadelphia Cream Cheese. ( 16 Oz. )At room temp. 1 tablespoon of Lemon Juice (add another to taste ) 6 heaping Tablespoons of Orange juice 2 teaspoons of Vanilla Favor ( a good brand. ) Grate the skin of one orange , with a hand grater, fine side. ( 2 tablespoons ) OR 1 teaspoon of dried Orange Peel ( I use Mc CormickÂs ) 2 heaping tablespoons of AP flour ¼ cup of Cornstarch I do the Egg Whites first, ( donÂt have to rinse the beaters ) Beat the egg whites, Add the ½ cup of Sugar, A little at a time, at a medium speed for 1 minute. Beat for another 3 minutes, or until they hold stiff peaks. Put aside, until the batter is mixed. In a bowl large enough to hold the batter and beaten egg whites, Beat the Cream Cheese & ¾ cup of Sugar, until smooth Add the 6 egg yolks Lemon juice, Orange Juice, Softened butter, Vanilla flavor, Flour , Ice Cream and grated Orange skin. Beat this for 3 to 4 minutes, until smooth, add Cornstarch and mix on low speed 1 minute. Fold 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the cake batter, Then fold in the remaining egg whites , very easily but well. Pour this into a 10 inch Spring Form Pan that has a Graham Cracker crust, on the bottom. Wrap the bottom with Allum. Foil, so nothing leaks out Place into a pre heated 320 degree oven on the middle shelf. I use a Baking Stone Bake for about 50 to 55 minutes or until the top is a Golden tan ( not Dark Tan !!! ) Turn the oven off , But leave the cake in, until it cools down. When cooled down, cover the top with Aluminum Foil and refrigerate, for at least 1 hour. You can add a topping of your choice , a Pineapple Sauce, preserves, thickened peach pie filling , etc. OK for freezing. LOU This was baked a little too long but was still great!!!

Homey - I almost never post on this forum but I'll help you out. Ricotta can make a great cheesecake. You can simply bake ricotta actually, and don't even call it a "cake". The texture will not be smooth like with Philadelphia Cream Cheese. You can use a crust that's kind of a pate sucree - mix together some butter, flour and sugar and add an egg or two. Can incorporate crushed nuts of some sort if you want. Bake it a bit before putting in the filling - many people don't do that but they should. Matter of fact, do that with the graham cracker crust too - if you put a wet filling on an unbaked crust, the crust will never quite cook right. But be careful - it will burn fast so watch it. When you're making a cheesecake, what you're really making is a custard. You thicken a custard with eggs. When the temp gets hot enough to change the proteins of the eggs, they solidify and that's why your custard hardens. Exactly the same thing you do with flan, etc. So when you cook it, don't leave it in the oven until it's completely done. Take it out or stop cooking it when the center is still kind of gooey - the internal temp of the custard will finish the cooking itself. If you cook until done completely, you'll end up with an overcooked cheesecake and it won't be smooth. You don't have to use Philadelphia cream cheese obviously, and the better the cheese, the better the finished product. You can actually make your own and it will be delicious. Get some good yogurt, or make your own yogurt, and strain it well. That's essentially cream cheese - the commercial version adds a lot of starch and stabilizers, but the original is very common in the Middle East, Greece, and France. Whatever you use, if you whip the batter and incorporate a lot of air, you'll end up with a kind of souffle that will rise and sink, so it's better to mix by hand or with minimal help from the food processor or whatever else you're using. As always, don't worry about specific measurements in your cooking. As a rule of thumb, if you use those 8 oz packages of cheese, use one egg per package and a tablespoon of sugar. If you like it sweeter, use a bit more sugar or honey or maple syrup or whatever. Also add a pinch of salt and maybe a few drops of vanilla. From there, you can go anywhere. When they're in season, I add blueberries or raspberries or strawberries, etc. Or peaches, which are wonderful. You can put in a food processor or put in chunks. For the holidays, add pumpkin - baked not canned because it's less watery, and add some cinnamon, cloves, ginger, etc. Or dice up a jalapeno really fine and incorporate that. Or burnt butter or a banana or melted chocolate or peanut butter. You don't need a "recipe" for any of those - just add what you feel will work. It's the ratio of liquid to egg and the cooking time that is going to make the difference in your final product. You don't need to add sour cream, and I wouldn't. Or you can make a savory cheesecake - forego the sugar and add chunks of blue cheese, mushrooms, herbs, or whatever. It's essentially a kind of quiche at that point. What you should NOT do is use condensed milk. That's way too sweet and has a grainy texture that's horrid. If you want something similar, make dulce de leche or confiture du lait - you can do it in a crock pot. Use about 1/2 cup of sugar for every 2 cups of milk and add about a quarter spoon of salt. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down way low and simmer until it's reduced to a fraction of what it was. You decide how thick you want it. Good luck and happy baking!

Tia, This might be worth considering for your French cheesecake. Clearly given the ingredients it would be very smooth and deeply rich. Of course the crust could be deleted; perhaps that's what the bakery did. French Cheesecake Servings: 16 Categories: Cheesecakes / Desserts Ingredients: -----CRUST----- 1 1/2 cups Unbleached flour, sifted 1 large Egg, separated, yolk lightly beaten 1/4 cup Sugar, granulated, up to 1/3 to taste 1/2 cup Butter, unsalted, sweet cream, softened, no margarine -----CHEESECAKE----- 1 pound Cream Cheese 1/2 pound Cheese, Soft Double Creme French Cheese (see notes) 1/3 cup Sugar, granulated 1 tablespoon Unbleached Flour 4 large Eggs, separated 1/4 cup Sour Cream 1/4 cup Heavy Cream 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract 1 tablespoon Confectioner's Sugar Directions: 1. Crust: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Working on a large flat surface, such as a pastry board, place the flour and the sugar in the center of the surface and mix together. Form a small depression or well in the center of the mound. Add the beaten egg yolk and the softened butter to the well, ten blend these with the dry mixture. Mix the ingredients thoroughly using your hands -- there's no substitute for warm hands. Shape the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 10 minutes. Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 1/4-inch. You should have a circle of about 11 inches in diameter. For best results, roll out your dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper, then peel away the paper and cut the crust in a 9-inch circle. Place the circle inside a 9-inch springform pan. Prick the crust several times with a fork to keep the crust from puffing up during the baking. Place the springform pan in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until light brown. Allow to cool. Using the leftover dough, line the sides of the springform pan. 2. Press the dough against the sides of the pan, smoothing it so as to have a continuous layer of crust all the way around the sides of the pan. Make sure that the side crust meets the bottom crust all the way around. Brush the reserved egg white onto the shell, covering the bottom and sides. This will seal the dough and keep it from becoming soggy. Set aside until ready to use. 3. Cheesecake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and the double creme, then add the sugar and flour and beat until thoroughly blended. Stir in the egg yolks, sour cream, heavy cream and vanilla. Beat the egg whites until they are frothy, then gradually add the confectioners' sugar and beat until the whites form stiff peaks. Fold the whites into the cheese mixture. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and bake for 45 minutes, or until the center is firm. Cool to room temperature, then chill before serving. Carol Here is a link that might be useful: French Cheesecake

lowspark/May, I had to grin at "platitudes". Unfortunately, though, I can't use it on Elery because he didn't eat it. We're both doing this Weight Watchers thing and so no dessert for either of us, all leftovers went home with other people... You did make me turn to the ultimate authority, though, my copy of "Larousse Gastronomique", who defines cheesecake as: "A cake made from soft cheese. Creamy and dense, baked cheesecake consists of a base made from flour, butter and sugar. This is covered with a mixture of soft cheese, eggs and sugar, with lemon zest and/or dried fruit. The cheesecake is baked, cooled and served lightly chilled. There are many examples of baked cheesecakes from Scandinavia, Russia, Europe and the USA. Eastern European countries, in particular, make traditional rich baked cheesecakes. Traditional chilled cheesecakes include pashka, a moulded cheese mixture prepared for Easter and Italian ricotta desserts. Chilled set cheesecakes on a biscuit base are the modern version: they may be rich and dense, or light. They are often served with fresh fruit or a fruit coulis." So now I have to try Pashka, because I've never had that! Annie