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NO-FRILLS CHEESE CAKE
Recipe courtesy Nick Malgieri
Crumb crust:
1 1/2 cups (5-ounces) finely ground graham crackers or cookies such as
chocolate or vanilla wafers or
gingersnaps
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted plus butter to grease springform
pan
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
Filling:
2 pounds cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 eggs
For the crust, stir together crust ingredients and press onto bottom an
1-inch up side of a buttered
24-centemeter springform pan. Fill immediately or chill up to 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. For the filling, use your mixers lowest
speed. Using a paddle attachment, if
your mixer has one, beat the cream cheese smooth, no more than 30
seconds. Stop the mixer and scrape
the bowl and beater (or paddle.) Add the sugar in a stream, mixing for
no more than 30 seconds. Stop and
scrape. Add the vanilla, lemon juice, and 1 egg; mix only until
absorbed, no more than 30 seconds. Stop and
scrape after each addition.
Wrap aluminum foil around the bottom of the springform pan so it comes
at least 1-inch up the sides. Pour
the filling into the pan over the crust. Place the pan in a jelly-roll
or roasting pan and pour warm water into
the pan to a depth of 1/2-inch.
Bake cheesecake for about 60 minutes, or until lightly colored and firm
except for the very center. Remove
from the pan of hot water.
Remove the foil and cool completely on a rack. Wrap the cheesecake in
plastic or foil and chill overnight
before unmolding.
Yield: 12 servings
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