Living in New York, there is absolutely no possibility of getting around eating numerous types of cheesecake — New York Style, Italian Style, French — creamy, gritty, sweet, savory.  As is usual for recipes, there are so many increidbly good variations, you just have to find one that suits your fancy.

The version here is somewhat light, not overly dense and incredibly creamy.  I serve it with a light raspberry sauce over top, but choose your favorite topping.

As is with most custards, in my opinion, this will taste even better after being refrigerated overnight.  It ripens, as it were.  Hey..it’s cheese, after all.

Enjoy!

Cheesecake, just out of the oven, and looking yummy, even if it is an awful picture..lol

Cheesecake

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons butter, melted
4 eight ounce packages of cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup flour

Before you start this recipe, please bring the cheese, eggs & sour cream up to room temp. I let them sit on the counter for about 1 hour or so.

Heat the oven to 350 F (175 C). Using shortening or butter, grease the 9 inch springform pan.  Put a pan of hot water into the oven.  I usually just use a 2 quart sauce pan, placed in the very back of the oven, filled with hot water.

Next….Melt the butter, and then in a small bowl, mix it until it’s combined well. Dump this into the middle of your springform pan, and spread evenly. Press the mixture with the bottom of a spoon, packing the cracker mix down. If you like, press a bit of the cracker up the sides a bit.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the cream cheese, sugar and milk together until smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time, incorporating each egg well into the mix. Add in the sour cream, and vanilla. Lastly, add in the flour. Mix well, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl to get everything well incorporated.

Pour the mix into the springform pan, and allow it to sit on the counter for about 5 minutes, until all the bubbles have risen to the top.

There are three options here for baking the cake:

• Put the cake directly into the oven to bake.
• Put the cake pan into a waterbath, and bake. (If you are using a springform pan, wrap the exterior of the pan in a few layers of foil, to keep the water out of the cake, and the cake in the pan).
• Put the cake directly into the oven to bake, with a pan of water on a lower rack.

I will admit that I do not always use a water bath, nor put a pan of water in the oven at all. I just put it to the oven.   However, because this “cake” is really a custard, it will have more of a tendency to crack, and the water bath (as well as the small bit of flour in the cake), will help to keep that from happening.  I have always put a pan of water on a lower rack while the cake baked. Your choice.

So.. choose how you would like to bake this… and then do so for 1 hour at 350F.

Once the hour is up, turn off the oven and let the cake cool there, with the door closed, for 5-6 hours. The better the cake cools, the more evenly it cools, the less cracking will happen.

Keep refrigerated for up to a week. Or, cut into slices, and freeze for up to a month.

I like tomato soup (as long as it isn’t one of those canned versions), and one of my favorite cheeses is blue cheese, so this soup hits a positive on all counts.

I usually make this on a cool Saturday afternoon, and serve for dinner.  Any leftovers are always a Sunday lunch, served with grilled cheese sandwiches.  Yumm!! 

Roasted Tomato and Blue Cheese Soup

3 pounds of roma tomatoes, peeled, and seeded
2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 
1 leek, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 1/2 quarts chicken stock
4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
3 tablespoons heavy cream
fresh basil leaves
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the oven to 400F.  Spread out the tomatoes in a lightly oiled baking dish — 13×9 cake pan will work quite well.  Sprinkle with garlic, salt and pepper and roast for 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the oil, and saute the leek and carrot for about 3 minutes, then turn the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, until soft.

Stir in the chicken stock, and tomatoes.  Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove from heat and add the blue cheese, cream and basil.  Using a stick blender, puree the soup until smooth. 

Notes:

• If you don’t have a stick blender, use a regular blender and work in small batches until the soup is smooth.
• If you don’t have fresh basil, don’t worry – just use about 1 teaspoon dried, adding it in during the last 5 minutes the soup is simmering.
• If you have leftovers, and need to re-heat the soup, do make sure you don’t boil it – just warm it through, as the milk may break, and curdle on reheat.

Cheese sandwiches, Photo by Sander Säde

One of my favorite comfort foods has no real name.. at least, not that I know of. We just call them “cheese-mayo-sour-cream sandwiches”.

I got this recipe from Sander, who likes them quite a lot, and has been making them since he was in pre-school. I have become rather addicted to these little yummy things. Mmmmy cheesey goodness!

There are no real measurements with this recipe – experiment with what works best for you, and what tastes best to you.

Cheese-Mayo-Sour Cream-Sandwiches

Grated cheese ? Use one or more of your favorite cheeses. I use Cheddar, Monterey, Gouda, American ? any kind of cheese will work. I often mix different cheeses together for this recipe ? A bit of cheddar, a bit of munster, a bit of cream cheese, a bit of parmesan. No real rules to the type of cheese that can be used. However, Bleu styled cheeses don?t work well in this application

Sour cream – about 1/2 a cup

Mayo – about 1/2 a cup – though I usually use 2/3 a cup myself, as I like the flavor

Any type of seasoning you like ? Dill, curry, red pepper flakes, garlic – try your favorites

Bread ? I often have used white, wheat, italian, french or challah to make this – use your favorite

Mix everything together and spread it on bread. Bake at 400F until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.

Serve immediately.

Store these in plastic wrap or foil in the refrigerator. Re-heat in the oven at 400F until warmed through or serve cold.
Some variations and additions:

Add a bit of salami, pepperoni, diced ham or chicken to the mix

A thin sliced tomato

Thin sliced black olives

Leftover sausage, crumbled

Try different types of cheeses and seasonings.. for example, try Parmesan, Romano, Mozzarella and garlic.

Thanks to Sander for the included picture