Ultimate Cook Book_ 900 New Recipes, Thousands of Ideas - Bruce Weinstein [357]
Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese and both sugars in a large bowl until creamy, until you can feel few sugar granules between your fingers, about 6 minutes.
Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding the next only after the previous one has been fully incorporated. After scraping down the sides of the bowl, beat in the cream, vanilla, and salt until smooth. Pour and scrape the batter into the prepared pan, doing so slowly so as not to dislodge any of the almonds.
Take the water off the heat so that it stops boiling. Place the cake pan in a large roasting pan; fill the roasting pan with the very hot water until it comes halfway up the sides of the cake pan.
Bake until set when jiggled and a little browned on top, about 1½ hours.
To cool: Remove the cheesecake pan or springform pan from the water bath and cool on a wire rack until room temperature, about 2 hours.
To store: When completely cooled, wrap the pan in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To unmold: Run a knife gently around the interior rim of the pan; invert the cheesecake onto a cutting board, then reinvert it onto a serving plate or cake plate; or slip off the outer springform ring, slice the cake off the bottom with a long, thin knife, and slip it onto a serving platter or cake stand.
Note: Low-fat cream cheese will result in a slippery texture; fat-free cream cheese will produce a watery cheesecake that may not set.
Toppings: Once the cheesecake has cooled completely, top it with ½ cup softened blackberry jam, blueberry jam, orange marmalade, raspberry jam, or strawberry preserves, heated slowly in a small saucepan over low heat for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until soft, then cooled for 10 minutes before spreading on the cheesecake.
Or top with a half recipe of Chocolate Whipped Cream.
Or top with 1/3 cup chopped candied ginger, chopped toasted almonds, chopped toasted pecan pieces, or chopped toasted walnut pieces; sprinkle about ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg over the nuts.
Or top with 1 cup fresh blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, or sliced strawberries macerated with 1 tablespoon sugar in a small bowl for 10 minutes.
Or top with 2 ounces shaved bittersweet or semisweet chocolate.
Spiced Cheesecake: Beat in 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, and ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg with the vanilla.
Chocolate Cheesecake: Omit the brown sugar; increase the granulated sugar to 1¼ cups. Add 1 additional large egg yolk with the eggs. Add 4 ounces chopped unsweetened chocolate, melted in a bowl in the microwave or in the top half of a double boiler over simmering water, then cooled, with the cream and vanilla.
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A Cheesecake Pan
A cheesecake pan is a round, high-sided cake pan without a removable bottom. In a springform pan, the seams between the sides and bottom can allow little bits of the cake to leak out—and can let water leak into the cake (with disastrous results).
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Baklava Cheesecake
A whimsical dessert, this combines two of our favorite treats by setting a honey cheesecake in a phyllo/walnut crust with a rich vein of walnuts running through the cake’s center. Since you don’t bake this cheesecake in a water bath (the phyllo would turn gummy), you can use a springform pan. Makes one 9-inch cheesecake
1½ pounds regular cream cheese softened to room temperature
¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons honey
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
3 cups walnut pieces, toasted and cooled
3 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
About 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 sheets phyllo dough, laid on the work surface and covered with plastic wrap and a dry kitchen towel
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F.
Beat the cream cheese and 3/4 cup honey in a large bowl, using an electric mixer