Stan Wright wrote::D
I think you should post a simple recipe...
better still... "Post" a gift box in the mail.
It may never arrive...I'm suspicious of those USPS workers...I don't think they can refuse a cheesecake.
Here's the recipe...
I bake smaller cheesecakes...it take up less ingredients and makes it more affordable to try different recipes.
This recipe is suited for 2 mini cheesecakes made in two 4.5" springform pans. If you want to bake a 9" cheesecake, multiply all ingredients by three (yes, I've tested this for 9" cheesecake...and the 3x factor is pretty accurate).
Crust
2/3 cup graham cracker crumb
(or you can use 1/3 cup cracker crumb and 1/3 cup ground almond / pecans / walnuts)
2 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
Combine cracker crumb and sugar together and mix well. Melt buttter in a bowl, then combine with crumb and sugar. Mix well so it evenly distributes the butter. You don't want some dry crumbs (crumbles) and some wet crumbs (soggy). You can then press this onto the bottom of the springform pan.
Bake the crust at 350F for 10 minutes, then remove from oven and let it cool on the counter. In the meantime, lower the oven temperature to 325F and prepare the filling. It's also good at this time to get a small pot of water boiling for the bain-marie.
Filling
1 package (8oz or 250g) cream cheese
1 tablespoon sugar (more if you like sweeter cheesecakes)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix cream cheese, sugar and lemon zest in a large bowl until smooth. Do not over blend or you'll have too much air bubbles in the cheesecake. Add in egg and mix well. (If you are baking a 9" version and it requires 3 eggs, beat in the egg one at a time. Make sure the egg is well blended before adding another egg). Finally add in vanilla extract.
Pour filling into the springform pan over the cooled crust. If you have more filling (likely won't), you can fill it to within 1/4" to the top of the pan. Sometimes, the filling will rise during the baking process so it's good to have a little room for it to rise.
Wrap the underside and the sides of the springform pan with a large piece of plastic wrap. Make sure there are no holes or crease where water may flow in. Basically, make the bottom and side water tight. Then further use two sheets of aluminum foil to wrap the bottom and the sides again to make it water tight (remember to use the dull side out...or mirror side pointed toward your food). You need to make a water tight wrap since you'll be putting these into the water bath.
Bain-marie: this is a water bath. I like to use a large baking dish to fit the two springform pan. Simple put your wrapped springform pans into the large baking dish, then fill the baking dish with boiling water (from the small pot you heated earlier) until it reaches half the height of the springform pan. Here's an example.
The benefits of using a bain-marie are:
1) Consistent cooking temperature (water only heats to 100C...then turns into steam...so you can slow cook the cheesecake at a constant 100C)
2) Maintain moisture during baking (keeps the surface smooth and prevent cracking)
3) Prevents overcooking of the surface and the sides
So simply put your cheesecake in the bain-maire into the over and bake for 45 minutes. The surface of the cheesecake should appear cooked, but center of the cheesecake should appear a little wobbly still. Switch off the oven, and allow the cheesecake to cool
IN THE OVEN for an hour. Removing it too soon from the oven will not allow the center to fully cook...and thus the cheesecake will collapse and crack badly if it cools too quickly. Once the cheesecake has cooled for an hour in the overn, let it cool on the counter to room temperature for another hour before putting it in the fridge overnight. At this stage, I use a knife or a skewer and slide it around the edge of the springform pan to separate the cheesecake from the side of the pan. Do not remove the springform pan though! It must cool in the fridge before removing.
Tips: I find that lining the springform pan with wax paper helps to remove the cheesecake after (non-stick layer). Simply use a little butter to secure the wax paper onto the side and bottom of the springform pan. You don't have to use a knife or skewer to separate the cheesecake if you use wax paper.
You can simply top the cheesecake with a strawberry sauce, chocolate sauce, honey or maple syrup...or start playing around to make them more fancy by adding sauce to the filling.
It's THAT simple.
(No really, it just take a little time...but once you get the hang of it, it is really simple...kinda like casting a spinning rod
)
I love cheesecakes! I'm a new member here and I'm really glad to make my first post on this delicious thread! Thanks for the recipe.