New York Cheesecake With Shortbread Crust Recipes

NEW YORK STYLE CHEESECAKE ON SHORTBREAD CRUST

Steps:

• PREP------.
• As with all baking, have all your ingredients at a cool room temperature (65°F).
• Get a couple quarts of water boiling on the stove.
• Arrange racks in your oven so there's one on the lowest and one in the middle. If you do not have a center position then go mid-lower.
• Have a clean 10x14x2-inch (give or take) roasting pan ready.
• Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Grease 10 inch springform pan.
• CRUST-------.
• Gently combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 egg and 1/2 cup butter in a medium bowl.
• Spread to the edges of the pan.
• Prick all over with a fork, then bake 10-15 minutes at 400°F until lightly browned. Allow to cool on a rack.
• FILLING------.
• Increase oven temperature to 475°F.
• Turn oven light off (trust me on this one), place roasting pan on bottom rack and fill with boiling water.
• In a large bowl (I use my stand mixer), very gently beat cream cheese until smooth. I use the slowest setting for 5 minutes.
• Scrape down sides of bowl.
• Gradually add the salt, 1 3/4 cups sugar and 3 tablespoons flour -- continue to beat SLOWLY until well combined, scrape down sides of bowl.
• In a small bowl gently beat the vanilla, 5 eggs and the 2 yolks, gradually add eggs to the cream cheese mixture.
• Continue to stir until combined and smooth, stop mixer occasionally and scrape down sides.
• VERY IMPORTANT! Stop mixer, remove bowl and give it a good scraping (some of the cream cheese will stick to the sides and bottom of the bowl), replace bowl on mixer and stir until all lumps are gone.
• Add cream and mix only enough to blend.
• Gently pour filling over crust, run a thin knife around the filling in a S pattern to remove any trapped air bubbles. Let it sit on the counter for 5 minutes then do it again.
• Bake for 10 minutes at 475°F.
• Reduce temperature to 200°F and continue to bake for one hour.
• Turn oven off, but leave cake in for another hour.
• DON'T TOUCH THAT OVEN DOOR! You've created a nice, humid environment that will help prevent cracks and produce a perfect, professional, NY style cheese cake assuming you didn't mess with it by changing the atmospheric conditions.
• It may appear a little jiggly in the center and will have a golden appearance around the edges.
• Allow to cool on a rack for several hours, release the latch slightly on the side of the pan after 20 minutes, rotate sides to be sure the cake is free (but don't take it off yet), you can remove the sides after an hour (or so) if you want to admire your work, but replace it quickly or the cake may fall.
• After it's cool, wrap completely with plastic wrap, there should be a layer stuck to the top of the cake.
• Chill overnight in the refrigerator (Yes, this is required).
• The cake will stay at peak flavor for several days so long as you keep it wrapped and cold.
• What can go wrong?.
• If the cake cracks you either had your ingredients too cold, mixed the filling too vigorously, opened the oven door while the cake was cooking or didn't have a pan of water in the oven.
• If it does crack, don't despair -- just cover with a dark fruit or a layer of cookie crumbs.
• Toppings------.
• Nothing (my favorite).
• OR, boil a bag of frozen berries with a 1/4 cup of sugar until the liquid coats the back of a spoon, thicken with a table spoon of cornstarch mixed into a 1/4 cup of cold water -- Pour in slowly while maintaining the boil and stirring constantly.
• Adjust thickness by adding liquid or more cornstarch.
• Flavor with liqueur, fruit juice or extract.
• Blueberries or raspberries with Chambord is awesome, cherries work well with Frangelico or Amaretto. If you do use an alcoholic beverage, be sure to boil off alcohol. Cool fruit sauce in a mason jar and refrigerate. Keeps longer than the cheese cake!
• I've served it with caramel sauce and, buttered/sliced/baked apples .
• A light milk chocolate sauce, a sprinkle of chopped pecans and dollop of whipped cream will produce a nice turtle cake.

NEW YORK CHEESECAKE WITH SHORTBREAD CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Wrap foil securely around pan. Place on a baking sheet., In a small bowl, mix flour, sugar and lemon zest; cut in butter until crumbly. Add egg yolks and vanilla, tossing with a fork until mixture pulls together., Press onto bottom and 1-1/2 in. up sides of prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned, 12-16 minutes. Cool on a wire rack., Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in cream, flour, vanilla, lemon juice and zest. Add eggs and egg yolks; beat on low speed just until blended. Pour into crust. Place springform pan in a larger baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan., Bake until center is just set and top appears dull, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove foil. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled. Remove rim of pan. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Gradually add cranberry and lemon juices. Stir in 1 cup raspberries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in butter., Strain sauce; discard seeds. Cool to room temperature. Stir in the blueberries, blackberries and remaining raspberries. Serve with cheesecake.

THE BEST NEW YORK-STYLE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• For the crust: Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.
• Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, brown sugar and salt in a medium bowl until evenly moistened.
• Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake the crust until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes.
• Cool completely on a rack. Wrap the bottom and up the sides of the pan with foil and place in a roasting pan.
• For the filling: Add the cream cheese to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and beat, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, until light and fluffy. Gradually add the cream, beating until combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the lemon zest and juice, vanilla and salt and beat just until combined, taking care not to over whip. Pour into the crust.
• Bring a kettle of water to a boil. Carefully place the roasting pan in the oven (don't pull the rack out of the oven). Pour enough hot water in the roasting pan to come about halfway up the side of the foil-wrapped springform pan.
• Bake until the top of the cheesecake is lightly browned around the edges, but the center still jiggles slightly, about 2 hours.
• Remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan to a rack. Run a knife around the edges and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to overnight.
• Bring the cheesecake to room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Remove the springform ring. Dip a knife in warm water and wipe dry before slicing each piece.

FESTIVE NEW YORK-STYLE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the wafer crumbs, walnuts and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom and halfway up the sides of an ungreased 10-in. springform pan. Freeze for 15 minutes., In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sour cream and sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Combine milk and lemon juice; add to cream cheese mixture just until blended. , Pour into crust. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until center is almost set. , Combine the sour cream, sugar and vanilla; carefully spread over cheesecake. Bake 10 minutes longer. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Garnish with candies and drizzle with chocolate syrup. Refrigerate leftovers.

CLASSIC NEW YORK-STYLE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Fill a large, round, disposable aluminum pan with about 1/2 inch of water to create a water bath.
• Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter for crust in a bowl. Mix until well combined and spread evenly in a 9-inch springform pan. Press down firmly on crumbs with a small, flat-bottom bowl or glass, all over the bottom and about 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan.
• Bake crust in the preheated oven until set, about 10 minutes. Remove crust and set aside to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Meanwhile, mix cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add sugar and mix well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating batter briefly after each addition. Continue to add ingredients, one at a time, beating after each addition until blended, in this order: sour cream, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and flour. Pour cheesecake batter onto the crust and place carefully into the prepared water bath. The water level should be about 3/4 of the height of the springform pan; adjust as necessary.
• Bake cheesecake until the sides appear solid and the center appears just undercooked, about 1 hour and 30 minutes. Turn the oven off, but do not open the oven door. Let the cheesecake cool in the water bath for 3 to 4 hours; the center will continue to cook slowly.
• Open the oven door slightly and keep the cheesecake inside for 1 more hour. Remove from the oven and transfer the cheesecake from the water bath to a wire rack. Cool for 1 hour, then place in the refrigerator until firm and fully chilled, at least 6 hours.
• Run a thin metal knife along the sides of the springform pan, then unlock the pan and slip the side section up and over the cheesecake. Run a knife under hot water, dry it quickly, then slide it from left to right between the bottom of the pan and the bottom of the cake. Slide the cake to a cake liner or platter.

NEW YORK-STYLE CHEESECAKE WITH COOKIE CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out cheesecake-crust dough slightly thicker than 1/8 inch. Place the base of a 10-inch springform pan on top as a guide, then cut out the dough. Slide dough onto the base.
• Attach sides to pan; wrap exterior of pan (including base) in a double layer of foil. Freeze dough in pan 15 minutes.
• Transfer pan to a baking sheet. Bake dough until golden, about 18 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let crust cool. Leave oven on.
• Put cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes.
• Stir together sugar and flour in a large bowl. With mixer on low speed, add sugar mixture to bowl in a slow, steady stream; mix until smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla; mix until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing each until just combined (do not overmix).
• Butter sides of cake pan. Pour cream cheese filling over crust. Set pan inside a large, shallow roasting pan. Transfer to oven. Carefully ladle boiling water into roasting pan to reach halfway up sides of cake pan.
• Bake 45 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees. Continue to bake until cake is golden and set but still slightly wobbly in center, about 30 minutes more. Turn oven off; leave cake in oven with door slightly ajar, 1 hour.
• Transfer cake pan to rack; let cake cool completely. Refrigerate, uncovered, 6 hours or overnight. Before unmolding, run a knife around edge of cake.

NEW YORK CHEESECAKE III

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly coat a 10 inch springform pan with spray oil. Note: You could use a 9x13 inch pan instead.
• To make the crust: Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 egg and 1/2 cup butter or margarine. Spread to the edges of the pan. Prick all over with a fork, then bake 15 minutes at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Allow to cool.
• Increase oven temperature to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, 1 3/4 cups sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, 5 eggs and the yolks and mix thoroughly. Add cream and mix only enough to blend.
• Pour filling over crust and bake for 10 minutes at 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Reduce temperature to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C) and continue to bake for one hour. Turn oven off, but leave cake in for another hour. Don't worry if it looks a little jiggly in the center.
• Chill overnight. This is imperative! If desired, top with your favorite fruit or serve plain.

NEW YORK CHEESECAKE WITH LORNA DOONE COOKIE CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• For Crust:.
• Finely crush entire pkg of cookies, mix in the butter. This can be done in a food processor on pulse. Butter the sides of the springform pan. Press the cookie mixture into bottom of 9 inch springform pan. DO NOT BAKE.
• For Filling:.
• Beat together cream cheese, sugar, flour and zests (if using). Add the 5 eggs and 2 egg yolks one at a time. Add the vanilla into the cream, and then add the cream to the cheese mixture. Beat on low speed (it's easiest to use a counter top heavy duty mixer) until all ingredients are incorporated.
• Place the springform pan with crust in the center of a shallow baking pan (to avoid oven drips). Pour filling into crust, it will be completely full. Place in the middle of oven for 12 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 250F and continue baking (approx. 1 hr to 1 hr 15 mins) until the center is mostly firm but still has a slight jiggle. (A little jiggle is good, if you overbake it you will end up with cracks that can be covered with a nice fruit topping to hide your sin).
• After removing from oven, run a knife around the edge and cool on a rack for 6 hours Remove side of springform pan and transer to a flat plate.
• It can be kept refrigerated for up to 2 weeks (good luck on it still being around), but is best served after allowing to return to room temperature.