This was a big favorite at our Christmas gathering and so, so good. It comes from Dorie Greenspan as adapted by Emily Weinstein in NYTimes Cooking and it tales a bit of time and engineering to make, but it is worth it. It can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge for several days and is best served with whipped cream and/or fruit topping. Explore, adapt and enjoy.
For this you’ll need: For the crust: 1 3/4 graham cracker crumbs (we used whole graham crackers and placed them in a food processor), 3 Tbsp sugar (we used brown), pinch of salt, 4 Tbsp unsalted butter (melted). For the cake: 2 lbs cream cheese (x4 8 oz boxes; at room temp), 1 1/3 cups sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 2 tsp vanilla extract, 4 large eggs (at room temp), 1 1/3 cup sour cream or heavy cream (we combined them 50/50).
Make the crust: butter a 9″ springform pan with high sides (at least 2 1/2″ tall preferably closer to 3″) and wrap the bottom and sides of the pan with aluminum foil using a couple of layers to ensure coverage (this is needed to stop water from the baking bath from seeping into the pan).
Stir together the crumbs, sugar and salt in a bowl and add the melted butter. Stir together to combine until uniformly moist. The whole mixture should just start to cling together so add a bit more butter if needed. Using your fingers, spread the crumb mixture along the bottom of the buttered pan and up the sides as far as you can. Don’t worry about covering all of the sides, just make sure it is as uniform in thickness as you can along the bottom and as far up the sides as you able to go.
Place the crust in the freezer while you preheat the oven to 350.
Once the oven is preheated place the pan with the cust on a center rack and bake for 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool while you make the filling for the cake and reduce the oven temperature to 325.
Place a kettle of water on to boil.
Working with a stand or handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese at a medium speed until uniformly creamy. With the mixer running, add the sugar and salt and beat together on a medium speed until smooth, about 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and combine with the mixer for a few more minutes. Again, with the mixer running, add the eggs one at a time mixing for at least a full minute in between adding eggs to create a well aerated batter. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gently stir in the sour cream/heavy cream.
Place the foil wrapped pan with the crust into a high sided baking pan large enough to hold it and to hold water that will reach at least halfway up the sides of the springform pan – creating a water bath for the pan once your boiling water is added (but don’t add it yet).
Stir the cheese mixture with a rubber spatula and the scrape the batter into the springform pan with the graham cracker crust. The batter should reach the rim of the pan. Don’t go beyond that as the batter will expand some while baking.
Pour enough boiling water into the baking pan now holding the cheesecake pan in order to reach about halfway up the sides of the springform pan. Carefully place the entire thing – roasting pan with water bath and springform pan with cheesecake – on the center rack in the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. The cake should just be beginning to brown and possibly start to crack. Then turn off the heat and prop open the oven door by 8-12″ (using a wooden spoon if needed) and let the cheesecake stay, in its bath, in the cooling oven for another hour.
After cooling for an hour in the open open, carefully remove the cake and the bath from the oven. Then remove the cake pan from the water and carefully remove the foil (be aware there may be hot or warm water caught in the foil!). Let the cheesecake come to room temperature before covering it loosely with more foil and placing in the fridge for at least 4 hours – preferably overnight.
For serving – remove the springform sides and cut with a knife you’ve run under hot water to ensure a smooth cut.
Serve with whipped cream and/or fruit topping of your choice. You’re welcome.
Dinner at Our Place 