Cheesecake – New York

Jayne:  New York cheesecake is a statement dessert.  And just like New York City, it is fearless. When you order a piece of New York cheesecake, you smile.  You deserve this indulgence!  

Food lore has it that the Greeks served “cheesecakes” to their Olympic athletes in 776 B.C.  (for extra energy) and then, through the Romans, it moved to western Europe in about 1000 A.D.  Fast forward a few hundred years to 1929, when a Jewish-German immigrant named Arnold Reuben (of Reuben sandwich fame) was served it at a dinner party, then came up with his own recipe for his restaurant, “Turf”, on 49^th & Broadway.  It became very popular with the rise of the New York delicatessens in the 1930’s and 1940’s.  And, as of 2015, world-famous Junior’s was selling over one million cheesecakes a year.

There are many variations on cheesecake – Italian ricotta-based, pumpkin-spiced, chocolate…. But New York cheesecake is classic American.  What makes a cheesecake a New York cheesecake is the texture (fairly dense), the use of cream cheese and sour cream.  The crust is a simple graham-cracker, but some deli’s, like Junior’s, make it with a spongecake (…they say “it’s a cake, not a pie”).  

It’s pretty simple to make a New York cheesecake.  Like everything, there are a few tips to take it from good to eye-closing, sigh-worthy “all is well in the world” status. 

1. Wrap your springform pan in large, heavy-duty foil (no seams) or place the pan in another, slightly larger pan (like a deep-dish pizza pan) when baking (to prevent water leakage into the crust).
2. Bake the cheesecake in a water bath (the steam helps to prevent cracking).
3. Serve it with a sweet/tangy berry sauce to complement the tart cheese and lemon – this is totally optional – purists prefer it plain.

Ingredients —

Crust:

• Half of a 14 oz. box of graham crackers (you will need 2 cups of crumbs)
• 7 Tbs butter, melted
• 3 Tbs sugar
• 1/8 tsp salt

Filling:

• 4 – 8oz. blocks of Philadelphia® cream cheese (32 oz. in total), room temperature
• 2 c. sugar
• 3 Tbs all-purpose flour
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp lemon zest (from 1 lemon)
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
• ¼ tsp salt
• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• ½ c. sour cream

Berry sauce:

• 1 lb. fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced thinly
• 1 dry pint blackberries
• 1 dry pint blueberries
• 1 dry pint raspberries
• 2 Tbs lemon juice
• ¾ c. sugar

Special equipment:  9 or 10-inch springform pan, large roasting pan (to fit the springform pan into), 18-inch-wide heavy duty aluminum foil (you need the wider width so you have no seams when you wrap your pan in the foil).

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 deg. F.

Spray inside of springform pan with cooking spray.

Wrap a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil around the bottom and sides of the pan.  Encase it completely up to the top edges of the pan. 

Crust:

1. Crush the graham crackers in a food processor.  Pour into a bowl and add melted butter, sugar and salt.  Combine well. 
2. Pour into the pan and press the crumbs firmly across the bottom (a dry, one cup measure or large spoon is helpful).   Place in the oven and bake until set, which is about 10 – 14 minutes. 
3. Set aside to cool while you make the filling.  Reduce the oven temperature to 325 deg. F.

Filling: 

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, sugar and flour together on medium until smooth, about 1 minute (don’t over-mix).  Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to get it all mixed. 
2. Add vanilla, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt; beat on low speed until just combined. 
3. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until incorporated, scraping the bowl as necessary. 
4. Mix in the sour cream.  Make sure the batter is uniform, but do not over-mix. 
5. Check your oven temperature and make sure it has cooled to 325 deg. F, then set the cheesecake pan in a large roasting pan. 
6. Pour the batter on top of the crust.  Pour the boiling water into the large roasting pan to come about 1 inch up the side of the cake pan. 
7. Carefully place the roasting pan into the oven (or, place the roasting pan in the oven and then pour the boiling water into the pan). 
8. Bake until the cake is just set, 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes (the cake should wobble just a bit when the pan is nudged; it will continue to cook as it cools). 
9. Carefully remove the roasting pan from the oven and set it on a wire rack.  Cool the cheesecake in the water bath until the water is just warm, about 45 minutes. 

Berry Sauce:

1. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, gently combine the berries.  Pour 2/3 of the berries into a saucepan and put the remaining 1/3 third in a small bowl and set aside. 
2. Pour sugar and lemon juice in the saucepan and stir gently over medium heat.  Simmer for about 5 minutes until syrupy. 
3. Carefully put the warm berry mixture into a blender.  Remove the round insert in the cap and lightly cover the hole with a paper towel (leaving room for steam to escape).  Puree the berry mixture until smooth. 
4. Pour through a sieve into a bowl.  Chill in the refrigerator.
5. When ready to serve, add in the retained berries and mix gently.  Spoon over the slices of cheesecake. 

Make ahead:  You can make this up to 2 days ahead or freeze it well-wrapped in foil, for 3 months.  The Berry sauce can be made ahead and frozen separately, as well.

For serving:  Remove the sides of the springform pan.  Serve the cheesecake right from the base of the pan; or, to transfer it to a serving platter, run a long, thin spatula between the crust and the pan bottom, and then use two large spatulas to carefully transfer the cheesecake to a service dish.  Slice with a sharp knife, wiping the knife clean between slices.  Serve with Berry sauce, if desired. 

Special thank you to Jenn Segal of Once Upon A Chef for her fabulous recipe, which I have tweaked just a wee little bit.