Childhood Cheesecake


This has been my favorite dessert since I was a little girl. My mom would make this for me and I would eat a piece for breakfast, after-school snack, and dessert every night until it was gone. My grandfather was also a huge fan of mom's cheesecake, most of the time if she made our family one she would make him one too, but on the rare occasion that she didn't...I would wait until I had eaten it all and tell him all about what he just missed :o)

To this day, it's still one of my very favorite desserts. This is the simplest, best tasting little cheesecake there is; I doubt I'll ever find a better one.

Crust 

  • ¼ c. butter, melted 
  • 1 ¼ c. graham cracker crumbs, 16 squares 
  • 2 Tbsp sugar 
Filling 
  •  2 pkgs (8 oz each) reduced-fat cream cheese, softened 
  • 2 eggs 
  • ¾ c. sugar 
  • 1 Tbsp grated orange or lemon zest 
  • 2 tsp vanilla  
Topping
  • 1 c reduced fat sour cream 
  • 2 Tbsp sugar 
  • 2 tsp vanilla 
Place melted butter in 9-in pie plate, microwave until melted. Stir in crumbs and sugar with a fork. Press mixture firmly and evenly in bottom and up the side of the pan. Microwave 1 minute longer. 

Place cream cheese, eggs, sugar, zest, and vanilla in medium bowl. Beat on high until smooth, about 2 minutes. Microwave uncovered, stirring every 2 minutes for a total of 8 minutes. During the last 2 minutes, 1 minute at a time. Pour into crust, Mix sour cream, sugar and vanilla; spread carefully over filling. Refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours.

TIPS:

  • If you use a metal spring-form pan: pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, press graham cracker mixture into pan, and then bake for 10 minutes. Cool.
  • My microwave seems to be quite powerful, I only needed to bake my custard filling for 7 minutes for it to become fully thickened.
  • I recommended refrigerating the cheesecake for 6-8 hours or overnight, 2 hours is the minimum.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dave's Killer Bread (Sourdough)

250g whole wheat flour 250g bread flour 100g starter 300g water 40g honey 32g olive oil 8g salt 100g Mixed seeds & nuts (pumpkin, sunflower, chia, everything bagel seasoning, rolled oats, pistachios, etc) 25g Mixed seeds for the top of the loaf (after shaping spritz with water and roll in the remaining seeds)
Read more

Bim’s Sourdough Pizza Crust

Image
1000 g. AP flour  200 g. Active starter  650-680 g. Water 50 g. Olive oil  20 g. Salt  30 g. Sugar (or Honey) In the large bowl mix everything together and rest for 30 minutes then stretch and fold 3 sets with rests for 20 minutes, then use coil fold every 20 minutes for another 3 sets. Proofing the dough for 2-4 hours in controlled temperature.  After 2-3 hours the dough will be doubled in size, separate them into 6 small balls (300 g), pre-shape into rounds, and rest for 15 minutes then give a final shape.  Place rounds in deli containers brushed with olive oil, cover with lids (make sure the lids also get oil). Rest the dough in the fridge over night or put in the freezer up to 2 months. Bim’s Sourdough Best Pizza 2000 g. Bread flour  400 g. Sourdough starter  1500 g. Water  120 g. Olive oil 120g. Sugar  40 g. Salt Mix everything together well and follow with 4 sets of stretch and fold every 30 minutes, proof the dough another ~3 hour...
Read more

Spiced Cocktail Nuts

Image
Union Square Cafe variation: 4 cups (~550 g) mixed nuts or seeds, raw, unsalted  (e.g. peanuts, walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews) 2 Tablespoons butter 2 Tablespoons brown sugar 3 Tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped  2 teaspoons sea salt 1 teaspoon cayenne  Heat oven to 350° . Spread nuts on a tray and toast for 12 to 15 minutes, until lightly golden and fragrant. While they’re toasting, whisk butter, rosemary, cayenne, sugar and salt in the bottom of a large bowl. When nuts are toasted, add them to bowl and stir to evenly coat. Spread back on tray and toast for another 5 to 10 minutes. Let cool slightly, then serve warm in bowls. Nuts are also good at room temperature, and keep for weeks in airtight jars.
Read more