BS: Cheesecake recipe?

Subject: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: TheBigPinkLad
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 02:47 PM

Apologies if this has been requested before but I can't locate a recipe for cheesecake at Mudcat. I need an excellent recipe that you have tried yourself that's guaranteed to impress my workmates. Preferably one that actually tastes like cheese. I'm no Nigella Lawson (though she could whip my topping anytime she wants) but I'm fairly adept in the kitchen. Anyone?

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 03:05 PM

Sweet or savoury?

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: TheBigPinkLad
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 03:06 PM

Sweet (ish).

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 03:13 PM

let me try to remember - I usually do savoury

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,pdc
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 03:23 PM

May I suggest you try www.epicurious.com? I have never had a bad recipe from that site, and most of them are gourmet-level recipes. Just type "cheesecake" in the search box. Also, below the recipes themselves are responses from people who tried them, which is a bonus.

Good luck! Just remember that when the cheesecake has cooked the right number of minutes, it should not appear done. Turn the oven off and leave the cheesecake in the oven for an hour with the door closed. Then let the cake cool completely before removing it from the pan and putting it in the refrigerator. It's better next day, by the way.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: Jeri
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 04:44 PM

My favorite cheesecake is a New York style one. It's baked, and the texture is dryer than what most people are used to. I'm not fond of the heavy, sweet, sticky ones. Oh, alright, I'm fond of them. Never met a cheesecake I didn't love. But the NY style ones, I LOVE. I haven't had one in ages, but I've got a recipe though. I haven't made it because I'd eat the whole thing. (Bat Goddess gave me a cheesecake recipe book last Christmas. Let me know if you want any other cheesecake recipies or recipies for toppings or crusts.

You might have to translate some of this to English English.

---

New York Style Cheesecake

Ingredients:
2 lbs cream cheese
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teraspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C
2. In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth and light
3. Beat in eggs, vanilla and cornstarch - only until thoroughly mixed
4. Stir in the sour cream until mixture is well blended
5. Pour into prepared crust & bake for 45 minutes. Allow cake to cool in the oven, with the door propped open slightly, for 3 hours. Chill.

---

Basic Crumb Crust

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar

Preheat oven to 350°/177°C (if pre-baking the crust)
Put crumbs in a bowl, add butter and sugar, and blend
Press the mixture (even thickness) into the bottom and partly up the sides of a greased 9" baking dish, pie pan, or springform pan.

Chill in refrigerator for 5 - 10 minutes or bake for 10 minutes. Cool before filling

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 04:46 PM

yup! That's the recipe I've used when I do "sweet"

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,Kim C no cookie
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 04:49 PM

I don't think I ever had a savoury cheesecake...

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: Jeri
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 04:56 PM

I haven't either, unless it's the same thing as quiche. Maybe when the Big Pink Lad gets enough sweet cheesecake recipies to keep him busy for a while, MMario will post a savoury cheesecake recipe?

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: TheBigPinkLad
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 05:00 PM

Jeri ... 2lbs of cream cheese! Can that be correct?

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: Jeri
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 06:37 PM

Yes, it can be. Serious cheesecake. There's a recipe in the book for tofu cheesecake, and there are recipies that call for less cream cheese. There's a recipe that calls for 2.5 lbs of cream cheese. I guess they don't screw around in New York!

Here's a lighter one (actually called "Heavy Cheesecake" in the book). My personal opinion is that a lemon should not be allowed within 10 feet of a cheescake, and the cinnamon is just...eeew. I'd eat it anyway, but I'd be offended.

Ingredients:
1 lb cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 325°F/163°C
2. In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese and sugar and eggs until smooth and light
3. Add lemon rind, lemon juice and flour & mix
4. Stir in the sour cream just enough to blend
5. Pour into prepared crust & bake for 45 minutes. Allow cake to cool in the oven for 30 additional minutes. Chill.
The book says to serve with whipped cream & sprinkle with cinnamon.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 08:30 PM

Will you post the tofu cheesecake recipe? I love dairy, but dairy doesn't love me. I've gotten pretty good with soy products.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,Jaze
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 08:59 PM

In the 70's I worked in a dinner club in Charleston.,W.VA. as a cook. One of their specialties was their cheesecake. It was heavenly. I used to make 3 each day. While I can't remember the exact recipe, I'll tell you the secret to this light type cheesecake. Along with the requisite cream cheese, we also added cottage cheese. This gave the cake a lighter texture. Any of the basic cheesecakes recipes can be used, but try adding cottage cheese!

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: Jeri
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 09:13 PM

They say it's not really a cheesecake OR a pie. It doesn't sound like it would taste much like a cheesecake, but if you like tofu, it sounds pretty good.

They recomment a whole wheat pie crust.

Tofu Pie

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups soft tofu
4 tablespoons dry milk powder [just a guess, but maybe non-dairy creamer would work?]
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
3/4 cup milk

Preheat oven to 450°F
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the filling and blend together until smooth.
Pour mixture into prepared crust and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and bake for 30 minutes more, or until a knife comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: Tinker
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 10:15 PM

These aren't nearly as decadent as Jeri's but they freeze well and make wonderful finger food.

Minature Cheese(cup)cakes

3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 T melted butter
dash of cinamonn

combine ingrediants and place one Tablespoon of this mixture in the bottom of each minature cupcake liner. Press down firmly with a shot glass to form a firm bottom.

Combine

1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 lb. cream cheese
1/4 tsp. Vanilla
2 T. sour cream

beat wtih a mixer until smooth, fill liners 3/4 full with this filling and bake 15 minutes at 375 Let cool. Top with a teaspoon of fruit if desired. Glazed strawberries are great. Cherry or blueberry pie filling if hurried.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 10:31 PM

Thanks! Dry soy milk would work, and if you're not sure a custard will thicken enough, adding an extra egg will do the trick.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,pdc
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 10:56 PM

And for those of you who are on low-carbohydrate diets, any of these recipes will work fine if you substitute a ground almond/melted butter/Splenda crust, and substitute Splenda, measure for measure, for the sugar(s). If I couldn't have cheesecake on the Atkins diet, I would be miserable.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Oct 03 - 11:20 PM

Ground almonds? That actually sounds very nice! Is this one of those mash it together, press it into the pie dish, and bake it first recipes?

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,pdc
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 12:41 AM

Yes, it is. And if you are making a chocolate cheesecake, you can make a hazelnut crust the same way, which is to die for, especially if you grind your own hazelnuts, so the flavour is fresh. (I'm not sure, but for those of you who don't know hazelnuts, I think they are also called filberts.)

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,pdc
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 12:54 AM

Again, for Atkins people -- we can't put fruit on our cheesecakes, but there are lots of recipes for ganaches, which work very well and look lovely. I make a chocolate marble ganache to swirl over New York Style and chocolate cheesecakes, and the ganache makes it attractive enough for guests.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,pdc
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 12:54 AM

You might say that on the Atkins diet, there will be weeping and wailing and ganaching of teeth. (Sorry.)

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: EBarnacle
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 01:02 AM

Looks good to me. Just don't go the ricotta route. There is a difference, yes there is.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 01:35 AM

One trick I discovered that works well in summer, is to buy one of those cheapie supermarket home brand cheesecakes - usually only come in vanilla - and cut it into small wedges - you may need to let it soften a bit first.

then return it to the deep freeze to harden properly.

When desired, take a single slice, and eat it FROZEN. Yum!

Also this trick works for the Aussie version of what the US call twinkies and those little cake slices with sugar icing on top..

Robin

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 08:35 AM

Pesto Cheesecake (savoury)

Ingredients:
2 lbs cream cheese
1/2 cup pesto
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon tabasco or pepper sauce
1 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C
2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth and light
3. Beat in eggs, vanilla and pepper sauce - only until thoroughly mixed
4. Stir in the sour cream and pesto until mixture is well blended
5. Pour into prepared pan & bake for 45 minutes. Allow cake to cool in the oven, with the door propped open slightly, for 3 hours. Chill.

I don't use a crust - but if you want to go ahead.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 08:55 AM

or this one....

Bacon Horseradish Cheescake (savoury)

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs cream cheese
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/5 cups commerical bacon horseradish dip
1/2 cup finely crumbled crisp bacon

directions basically the same as above Pesto cheesecake.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: EBarnacle
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 10:17 AM

A friend left a Twinkie on her ledge when she was a student. The pigeons would not touch it and it did not rot.
Good idea with the prepping on the cheesecake.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,Kim C no cookie
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 10:27 AM

Those sound really good, MMario, but how do you serve them? Are they appetizer or main course or side dish or what?

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 10:38 AM

depends on what you serve with them!

I've made them as hor d'euves;served with coffee and tea (church "coffee hour")

served them as a main course with a salad;

served them as appetizers

they COULD function as a side dish - depending on what the entree was...

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 10:50 AM

There was a web site about just how indestructible Twinkies were, with lots of wonderful disgusting looking pictures - they did everything to them, burnt them, put them in vacum chambers, added all sorts of destructive chemicals to them.... and they will eventually grow mould and dry out - just takes a while...

Come to think of it "they COULD function as a side dish - depending on what the entree was..."

:-)

Robin

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 12:27 PM

Wow, Leo, that gives an entirely new spin to cheese cake that I wasn't aware of!

There are places that sell some pretty good cheese cake pre-sliced, with a bit of waxed paper between each, all frozen. Sam's Club in the U.S. has them. I scoot past that case in a hurry, it is awfully tempting. But if you want some really good baked goods (their specialty is fruit cake, but they do some very nice cheese cakes) then visit the Colin Street Bakery. They ship around the world.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 12:28 PM

Pardon that typo in the link--it's the "Collin" Street Bakery.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 12:55 PM

Savoury cheesecakes are really just "Hearty man's quiche" - if you can do a quiche with it - you should be able to do a cheesecake with it.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,Kim C no cookie
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 01:49 PM

Aha! I will have to try it sometime. :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 02:49 PM

Funny, but just this week I have been considering making a quiche, and debating about what I could submerge in the custard. I have some Swiss chard, some bacon, green onions, various types of soy cheese. It will be a sort of faux-spinach quiche Lorraine.

I see the attendant ads have picked up on the theme--they are for "Carboline Diet Products" (something to do with Atkins, it says) and Low Carb Cheesecake.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: TheBigPinkLad
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 05:41 PM

SRS you will remember my plan to hunt out Cibarius formosa in the forests of BC -- well, they make GREAT quiche filling. I found a recipe called Alsatian Tart that turns out to be what we call Wild Mushroom Flan where I grew up (Alsatian in the UK is a type of dog). Anyway, a few chanterelles mixed with regular button mushrooms makes for a really good savoury pie if you want to give it a go.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,pdc
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 05:43 PM

Darn, didn't anyone appreciate my pun? Am I wasted here? Have I found yet another place that will not allow me to make detestable puns? Darn!

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: M.Ted
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 05:44 PM

Somewhere or other, I read that Cheesecake is America's favorite dessert. Pumpkin Cheesecake has recently become quite popular, probably part an effort to undermine its popularity. For some reason, there is a town in New Jersey called Cheesequake, but it seems to be unrelated.

Worth mentioning that their are both baked and and boiled cheesecakes--the baked is often called "New York Style"--boiled, or refrigerator cheesecake, is made by preparing the liquid ingredients in a double-boiler, as one would a custard(often throwing in some gelatin to just to make sure it firms up in the fridge).

The general rule is whichever way you fix it, folks like it better it the other way.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: Jeri
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 06:16 PM

M. Ted, I remember cheesecake from when I was a kid and it wasn't much like anything I've had recently. It was dryer and less sweet. The surface would sometimes crack a little in the baking and the top was just a bit browned. Jeff Smith (The Frugal Gormet) actually used a propane torch to lightly singe the top. I might have to see if I can make one just for the sake of refreshing the memories.

Pumpkin cheesecake is blasphemous. (There's a recipe in this book.)

Pdc, my eyes glazed over at your pun - it was cheesy.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,pdc
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 06:20 PM

Darn, when I was writing it I thought it would take the cake.

btw, I made an Atkins pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving, because I couldn't eat the regular dessert I made for everyone else. Guess which dessert disappeared first!

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,mg
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 06:29 PM

try cheesecake with stevia...I am on a semi-Atkins plan and make cheesecake that way..substitute about 1/2 teaspoon of white powdered stevia for a cup of sugar...you might have to experiment a bit..some people find stevia bitter but I find it an excellent sugar substitute. mg

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: TheBigPinkLad
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 06:32 PM

I don't know the cost of Splenda in the US but here in Canada it's fabulous, combined with the 2lbs of creamcheese that would be one expensive dessert.

Anyone made the no-bake kind that uses gelatin?

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: Jeri
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 06:54 PM

I haven't made it, but my mom did, so I ate quite a bit of it. It was pretty good and a easier than the baked variety. Because there were only 2 of us, she used to make them in cupcake liners as with Tinkers recipe, and freeze them. Want her recipe? (For somebody who hardly cooks at all, I sure have a lot of recipies!)

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,pdc
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 07:27 PM

Yes please, Jeri.

I haven't tried Stevia yet, but have heard good things about it, so will give it a whirl.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 30 Oct 03 - 11:47 PM

Stevia is used in places like Japan in the diet drinks, but the aspartame industry here has lobbied heavily against it, as has probably the sugar industry. I found it in a health food store, and it doesn't take much. I find it a little harder to make disolve in my tea. I haven't used it in a while, I have lazily switched back to the little saccharine tablets. But it is great. And Splenda is found in some soft drinks around here, Diet RC and Diet Rite Cola.

Big Pink, I didn't list mushrooms, but I'm sure when I got to that point I'd have remembered to put some in the quiche. Thanks for the reminder! I can't get the wonderful wild ones you do, I'll have to settle for the little white mushrooms from the grocery store.

I knew Alsatian was a breed of dog, and to bring this closer back to cheese again, a friend of mine had a keeshound, which I'm told meant "cheese hound" in German. Any confirmation on that?

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 31 Oct 03 - 12:40 AM

Dog tart could be a little ruff....

"Georgian Tea" from near Russia contains Stevia leaves...

Robin

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,pdc
Date: 31 Oct 03 - 01:09 AM

SRS, isn't saccharine bad for you? Splenda acts and tastes like sugar, and according to many sources is perfectly safe. I think saccharine has problems, hasn't it?

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: jacqui.c
Date: 31 Oct 03 - 04:03 AM

Try this one

1/2lb curd cheese
1/4pint double cream
Sultanas pre-soaked in Amaretto or sherry
2oz caster sugar
squeeze of lemon juice

Base
1/2 pack digestive biscuits
4oz butter
2 oz ground almonds

Melt the butter and mix in the digestives and almonds. Press into a cake tin with a removeable base. Leave to cool.

Whip the cream until stiff. Add the remainder of the ingredients. Mix well. Pour into the tin. Leave to set for at least two hours, preferably overnight. CAREFULLY push out of tin. Enjoy!

You can experiment with chocolate digestive base or other alcohol for the sultanas.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 31 Oct 03 - 11:15 AM

Saccharine has been in use commonly for not quite a century. Back when they decided to test it and were cramming lab rats full of it, they were making them sick. That was amounts like 1000x what you would take in a day, and that much of anything will make you sick. I read a study a few years ago that said when large study groups are reviewed (and there are many human studies now) and under normal usage, saccharine shows absolutely no increased risk of cancer or other illnesses. But you have to understand that what they did to those lab rats to set off the alarms was so bizarre that it skewed the results and people panicked.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: EBarnacle
Date: 31 Oct 03 - 11:18 AM

Jeri, I suspect that the cheesecake you were eating back then was made with cottage cheese or ricotta or was simply old and tired.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheesecake recipe?
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 31 Oct 03 - 11:20 AM

I've found that both aspertame and sacherine add t omy water rentention (so nice to be medically classed as both dehydrated and retaining excess water at the same time. - which I have at times)

Spenda doesn't seem to do that. Haven't tried Stevia.