Cooking Therapy

Ever since I immigrated to the United States and ate a slice of cheesecake, I fell in love. It quickly became one of my favorite desserts. A cake made of a creamy cheese filling and a nice crust? Who wouldn’t love it. Below is my recipe for a traditional New York style cheesecake. This will wow not only the guests you serve it to, but also yourself after tasting how deliciously it is made!

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

Cook Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

Rest/cooling Time: 4 Hours

Ingredients:

4 packages of cream cheese at room temperature

2 cups of sugar

5 eggs at room temperature

¾ cups of sour cream at room temperature

¼ cup of heavy cream at room temperature

1 ½ tablespoons of vanilla extract

1 stick of butter, melted

½ cup of pecans

½ cup of graham crackers

1 cup of ginger snap cookies

*If you do not have ginger snap cookies, increase the volume of the graham crackers to 1 ½ cups and use half a teaspoon of cinnamon powder*

Instructions:

For the crust:

• Using a brush, spread some butter across the bottom of a springform pan
• In a food processor, blend the graham crackers, ginger snap cookies, pecans and butter, until they form a moldable mixture
• Pour the mixture in the pan, and using your hand spread it evenly across the pan, patting it down, and press it against the sides of the pan. Press the raised mixture around the side of pan so you can mold a “crust wall.” Let the crust sit until the filling is ready
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

For the filling:

• Add the cream cheese and the sugar into a mixer and blend until a smooth mixture forms
• Add the vanilla and mix again
• Using a slow setting of the mixer, add the eggs one by one into the cream cheese mixture and blend
• Add the sour cream and heavy cream and mix
• Pour the mixture into the crust

For the baking/serving:

• We are going to do a water bath while baking
• Cover the springform pan in aluminum foil so water does not enter it. DO NOT cover the top of the cheesecake. Simply cover the sides slightly so that there is no water leaking in, about halfway up the pan.
• In a roasting pan add 1 inch of hot water or until the water comes up halfway up the side of the springform pan
• Add the covered springform pan into the roasting pan carefully.
• Place the pans in the oven and bake until the cheesecake is in the center but still has a slight jiggle when moved. About an hour and fifteen to an hour and a half
• Let the cheesecake cool and rest for 3 hours
• Place in the fridge for 1 hour
• Feel free to top with whipped cream, fresh fruit, or any topping of your choice
• Serve and enjoy!