Recipes

[sunshine45]

hi ladies, i posted this on another thread, but i will make one here in recipe swap. this is such a great cheesecake and i make it most often around the holidays..... when it seems like almost everyone is willing to eat things they dont normally eat all year long. this is more of a creamy texture than a solid dense texture that some cheesecakes have.

charcoal room cheesecake (johnny johnstons charcoal room, new york city)

3/4 cup fine graham cracker crumbs

2 T butter

1 cup plus 5 T sugar

1 1/2 pounds cream cheese

3 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 T flour (i use wondra)

2 cups sour cream

1/2 cup toasted slivered blanched almonds (i usually omit these)

have butter cheese and eggs at room temperature

mix crumbs and butter and 2 T sugar and blend well with hands

press onto the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.

cream cheese well.

slowly beat in one cup of sugar.

then add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

add one teaspoon of vanilla and the flour and mix well again.

pour into prepared pan.

bake in a preheated moderate oven (350 degrees) for about 40 minutes or until set.

remove from oven and increase temperature to extremely hot (500 degrees).

mix sour cream, 3 T sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla.

gently spread onto the cake.

return to the oven and bake for 5 minutes.

turn off oven and leave oven door open to allow cheesecake to cool for a while.

remove pan and allow cheesecake to fully cool outside of the oven.

chill thoroughly prior to serving (i like it to cool down for at least 24 hours in the refrigerator).

remove rim of pan and sprinkle the top of cake with almonds.

this cheesecake is a tried and true recipe for many years in our home. it never fails to get compliments and no one can believe it isnt a bakery or pastry shop cheesecake. you can even add fruit to the top if you like, but it really doesnt need it.