Cheesecake

glennmac · Jan 30, 2002

Just learned on another thread that Bird's favorite cake is cheesecake. Now, I am prepared to put computers and boxblades aside and agree wholetummily with that........This is a yummy topic.......As a general proposition, I favor dense cheesecake over airy cheescake. (Same with brownies: chewy brownies are much better than cakey brownies.).....Specifically, my all time favorite cheesecake was Demars, made in Thornwood, NY, about 25 years ago. Don't know if they are still around.....Lot's of people say Juniors, from Brooklyn, is the best, and you can order a wide variety of Junior's cheesecakes online. I don't agree that Juniors is the best..........The Cheescake Factory stores, which I have seen in California and Florida, offer a mindboggling array of great cheesecakes.......I had a great cheesekace in Anacortes, WA, last June. It had a shortbread crust that I may have liked even better than my historical favorite graham crust.....Cheesecake made with lemon flavor is the pits.

Jeff396 · Jan 30, 2002

Not sure if I want to know why this is under oil fuel and lubricants/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Jeff

ronjhall · Jan 30, 2002

Glenn
 This is a yummy topic
I'll volunteer to sample every one. /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif/w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

MikePA · Jan 30, 2002

Harv · Jan 30, 2002

Gee thanks, Mike! I gained 5 pounds just looking at those pictures. /w3tcompact/icons/tongue.gif

I think the cheesecake is a fabulous culinary creation, and I think the guy/gal who invented it should either be deified or crucified. Like Glenn, I prefer the ones with "body". Each bite should take a while to savor and appreciate. Mmmmmm...

Having said all that, I seldom eat the stuff 'cuz the good ones have the curious ability to add several times their own weight to my spare tire region. They are also seductive and addictive, and I'm easy prey. /w3tcompact/icons/blush.gif

'Scuse me -- I gotta go walk it off now.

glennmac · Jan 30, 2002

Well, Jeff, that Muhammad is a purist. And slick. Won't let me have my cake and peat it, too.

RobS · Jan 31, 2002

Mmmmm, agreed this is a delicious topic. How about TBN branded cheesecake (I'm working with a theme here, bear with me).

For those in my area (MossRoad, you listening?), it's tough to beat Macris for cheesecake. I just read that George Macri the founder, died but the restaraunts and bakery will continue and stay in the family.

Now how about Key Lime Pie... /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Rowski · Jan 31, 2002

/w3tcompact/icons/love.gif YUM/w3tcompact/icons/love.gif

Maybe we should combine the coffee thread with the cheesecake thread /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif.

Chuck52 · Jan 31, 2002

For a bunch of otherwise do-it-yourselfers, you guys sure seem to be in the bought-is-better camp. Best cheesecake I ever had was made by the German wife of a Japanese colleague in what I guess is known as the New York style...i.e. a thick cake style. The wife has made it several times, but it certainly is cholesterol on a plate. Good as it is, it still survives for a few days simply because of its size and incredible richness. Eat more than two small slices and die! Happy!

Chuck

Jeff396 · Jan 31, 2002

So, are we gonna share favorite recipes? I've got a killer recipe for NY style cheesecake from the Frugal Gourmet. It's dense but creamy and best of all you mix the ingredients in a blender. I always get raves when I take it to an event./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Jeff

Chuck52 · Jan 31, 2002

I'll ask the wife if she still has that recipe. She hasn't made it in a while. I tell her there's more of me to love, but she seems to think there can be too much of a good thing. Fish anyone? Baked, that is.

Chuck

MossRoad · Jan 31, 2002

When I was in high school, a friend of mine knew the Macri family. We would go out drinking and occasionally ended up at the back door of Macri's bakery sometime after midnight. I know that cheescake and beer sounds awful, but man, it was good! And canolis, and fresh warm bread.

Bird · Jan 31, 2002

The Cheescake Factory stores, which I have seen in California and Florida

Yep, and they've got one in Dallas, too. The one I just finished was their large sized Snickers cheesecake./w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif The youngest daughter usually makes them herself for me, but she was tied up and not able to come down this week, so she had one sent to me from The Cheesecake Factory. Sure was good and probably didn't add more than 10 pounds to my middle./w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

Jeff396 · Jan 31, 2002

Okay, I'm gonna go ahead and put this out there. Please give it a try, you will not be disappointed. You can think of it as adding ballast to the tractor if you like./w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Tractor Ballast Cheesecake

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons melted butter
1 1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 pound cream cheese, broken into small pieces

Blend the cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup melted butter and line the bottom of an 8 or 9 inch spring form pan.

Blend the sour cream, 1/2 cup sugar, eggs and vanilla in a food blender for 1 minute. Add the cream cheese. Blend until smooth.

Pour 2 tablespoons melted butter through the top of the machine. Pour into the spring form pan.

Bake in lower 1/3 of a 325 degree oven for 45 minutes.

When baking is finished, remove from oven and turn on broiler. Broil cheesecake just until the top begins to show attractive spots of brown.

Refrigerate for 4 hours, preferably overnight, before cutting and serving.

This is not a low calorie version. Cut into small pieces - it is very rich.

When I make this, it always looks like it isn't done as the center will still be liquidy. Unless your oven is messed up, it is. It will harden on sitting in the refrigerator. Also, you do not "need" a fruit topping...it's that tasty!

Jeff

Muhammad · Jan 31, 2002

Well Glenn, since cheesecake isn't solid oil, fuel, or lubricant... we had to move it. /w3tcompact/icons/grin.gif

FWIW, Eli's of Chicago has some pretty decent cakes, and you can even <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.elicheesecake.com/products/shoponline.htm>order them online</A>. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif Was surprised at how good they are for "mass market" cakes. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif $25-$43 each.

And... here's a recipie off their site...

Eli's Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Crust: 1 package (8 1/2 oz) chocolate wafers, crushed into fine crumbs.
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup melted butter

Mix cookie crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press into a 9-inch batter springform pan. Refrigerate while making batter. Pour batter into crust and bake in preheated, 350-degree oven for 45 minutes. Allow to rest in oven about 1 hour, then cool in refrigerator.

Batter: 3 eggs
1 cup sugar
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
12 ounces mini-chocolate chips

Beat cream cheese and sugar together at medium speed. Add eggs and beat until smooth; mix in sour cream, vanilla and salt. Add chocolate chips. Stir in.

Note: This recipe is as close as it gets to the real thing.
_

Hmm... gettin' hungry here and it's not even lunch time!

glennmac · Jan 31, 2002

Be interested Chuck's recipe and anyone else's. Then maybe GlueGuy could do one of his patented comparison charts so we can isolate the differences. Jeff's and Muhammads recipes seem close....I know my mother also adds Ricotta cheese, but I don't know the proportions............Jeff, I'm not sure what you meant by: Pour 2 tablespoons melted butter through the top of the machine You mean the blender? And then blend it in?........RobS, yes Key Lime Pie is also in the Top Ten. I once had key lime cheesecake, thinking it would be synergistic Nirvana. But it didn't really work. True key lime pie is yellow, of course, not green.

Chuck52 · Jan 31, 2002

I'll see if I can find that recipe, but if we're into general rhapsodizing about favorite deserts, I'd like to nominate old fashioned stack cake. My aunt used to make one every Christmas, and I'd do my best to eat the whole thing. Seven layers of thin shortbread-type cake, with a dried fruit filling. Her filling was mostly from dried apples I think, with maybe some dried peach and apricot too. Had to sit for several days to "equilibrate". Oh my gosh! Heaven on earth! Not too sweet the way she made it, and with all that fruit you could even convince yourself you were eating healthy!

Chuck

Jeff396 · Jan 31, 2002

Yeah, I pour the melted butter in the top of the blender while it is running. It doesn't say why you're supposed to do this. I'm thinking so it doesn't congeal a bit when it hits the cold mixture.

Jeff

looch · Jan 31, 2002

I have a whole book of just cheesecake recipes. You want decadence? There's one recipe in there that suggests to replace the 1 pound of cream cheese with Brie! Crikey! I haven't worked up the guts to try that one yet.

Chuck52 · Jan 31, 2002

Boy, you'd have to pick the brie carefully! I like it until it gets that interesting ammonia smell and starts to crawl off the table by itself. That'd also be one really expensive cheesecake./w3tcompact/icons/eyes.gif

Chuck