DESSERTS: CAKES

Mike’s Cheesecake

TESTER’S COMMENTS

The beauty of this recipe is its versatility: graham cracker crust, your favorite piecrust, or no crust. I used a refrigerator piecrust, rolled to fit my 2-quart dish and baked per the package directions. Instead of canned fruit, I used fresh strawberries. After the cheesecake had cooked for 1 hour, I put the berries on top and baked the cake until the berries started to caramelize—a few minutes. Meanwhile, I heated strawberry jelly on low on the stovetop. This I brushed on the berries when the cheesecake came out of the oven. After letting it cool for 30 minutes, I chilled it. This is a rich, dense, cheesecake that does indeed melt in your mouth.

–C.S.

 

Crust:

 

graham cracker or pie dough crust, or no crust

 

Filling:

 

4	packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
1	cup sugar
2	eggs (more make it lighter and less cream-cheesy)
	dash of vanilla extract

 

Topping:

 

fresh fruit or 1 can (20 ounces) of your favorite fruit pie filling

 

Preheat oven to 275°F.

 

For crust (if using): Press prepared graham cracker crust or rolled out pie dough into bottom and sides of 9×9-inch glass baking dish.

 

For filling: In a bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and vanilla and beat thoroughly. Pour into prepared crust or crustless glass baking dish. Bake for 1 hour, or until top is golden.

 

For topping: Spread fruit on top. Return cheesecake to oven to bake until the sugar in the fruit starts to caramelize. Cool, then refrigerate until cold.

 

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

 

I love cheesecake, so when I saw, 25 years ago, that cream cheese was on sale, I decided to make one. I checked my cookbooks for a recipe and found several, but they all had ricotta or other cheeses in addition to cream cheese, which did not sound good to me, so I decided to wing it. For the first cheesecake, I patted a traditional graham cracker crust along the bottom and sides of a rectangular glass baking dish, but I later used a regular pie crust (which I prefer). Then I tried it with no crust at all and found that the cheese hardened along the bottom and sides of the dish to make a yummy cream cheese crust. Plus, without a crust, it has less calories. The recipe I invented gave me the perfect cheesecake. It was rich, creamy, and heavy, exactly the way I wanted it to be. You are guaranteed the heaviest, creamiest cheesecake ever. For maximum heavenliness, place a spoonful on your tongue and just let it sit there and slowly dissolve.

Michael Steinberg, State College, Pennsylvania