What a lovely and interesting story! How I wish my mother had lived long enough to share details about my parents' romance and marriage. I'll have to try your recipe!

Carol

What a lovely romance story!

lpink, I heard part of that story from your Dad at the wedding, I smiled at the menu items, which I had not heard.

I might just have to make your Mom's Cheesecake for Thanksgiving. And, by the way, my Mother is also named Phyllis.

Annie

This last time I made it, Jeff tried to use the oven timer and instead turned off the oven, so by the time I figured that out, it was too late for the crust to caramelize. We used a ban marie to bake it but I think you could get away without it if you let it cool slowly before taking out of the oven. Is better after it is fully cooled in the fridge and the next day. It is one of the most divine recipes. Use three full bricks of cream cheese. We made it with 3/4 cup vanilla yogurt and 1/4 cup half and half instead of cream since we don't have cream around much. You might be able to get away with using sour cream, have not tried it that way. Of course it is super decadent with the real heavy cream. We also used parchment paper, although I do remember my mom using waxed paper, but I don't much care for baking with that. I think you could get away without either one if you greased the pan really good. I think it is to guard against leaks in the springform. We covered the outside of the spingform with aluminum foil as a precaution.

What a lovely story, and weren’t your parents a good looking couple?

How much (by weight) is a package of cream cheese?

Thanks for the link to the lovely and heartwarming family story!!! I think this recipe will be the next cheesecake I make!

Great question, Colleen! Since my childhood, unless it says otherwise, a standard package of cream cheese would be the Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese (interesting story behind that!) 8 oz. The small package was 4 oz., I think. I'm pretty sure they don't make the small one anymore. I also seem to remember a big, one pound package, however, though now they sell a two pack of the standard half pound instead, so it's hard to know which size the small extra would be and I hope LPink knows. The same product, without the Kraft badge, seems to also be available in Australia in metric packets which is a small miracle of international food conglomeration. :)

It never fully dawned on me that people would copy the recipe! Please note the changes below. The most critical is to use 1.5 lbs. of cream cheese, which would be three 8 oz. bricks. Also best in a 10 inch springform pan, not 9 inch like in the directions. Also don't use waxed paper. My mom did, I guess it was OK because the baking temp. was low but it's not a good idea. Fine without anything. If using greased parchment, I'd prebake the crust a bit, like maybe 8 min., just to get some caramelizing. Since the temp. is so low, pretty important to preheat the oven. You could raise it a tad I think, like to maybe 315. Hard for me to say because when I made it, my husband tried to use the timer on the oven and he actually turned the oven off, and I had to go back and bake it longer at a higher temp just to get the filling to set. It still tasted great, but the crust suffered a bit. Prebaking the crust probably not necessary if you don't use a ban marie. Mom never used a ban marie but her top usually cracked a bit. I have an electric oven which does not always ensure an even temperature, which is why I am being so wonky on the oven temp. instructions and baking.

Notes/Changes from
printed directions: USE A FULL 1.5 lbs cream cheese, which is the
equivalent of three 8 oz. bricks. Best results in a 10 inch springform
pan. Do not use waxed paper to line pan. Well greased parchment paper
may be substituted but is not necessary. Make sure to grease the sides
of the pan if not using parchment paper. Here's a link to similar
cheesecake recipe with photo instructions. https://cookiesandcups.com/perfect-cheesecake/

Note that the linked recipe is different than Mom's. Mom's cheesecake is souffle-like just a bit, so that's why it has a different egg to cream cheese ratio. This makes for a very light cheesecake. If you change the ratio of eggs to cheese or don't whip the egg whites, it will still be good, but not the cheesecake that made my Mom famous.

Great story, LP, thanks for sharing!

Aha! I had a feeling it was the 8 oz. :) Thanks for all the clarifications, L!

I too enjoyed the story, but I also thank you for sharing the actual recipe. I really hate the block of cream cheese dipped in sugar kind of cheesecake. I've been known to make the fluffy Italian style ricotta cheesecake that's more like a cake, but people who like the block of cream cheese type find that disappointing. Your mom's fluffy cream cheese cake sounds like a perfect meeting in the middle!

I have never been a fan of cheesecake for that reason, Pillog. I may have to try this recipe, though. Thank you, Pink!