Silky Cheesecake with Summer Fruit


 

Joan

TVWBB Hall of Fame
WEBER-We made this cheesecake back in Sept. 2018 and gave it a Very Good rating. We didn't make any other notes but Jamie did. He says, "mixing the filling of this voluptuous cheesecake for a full twenty minutes guarantees an utterly smooth and airy center that almost dissolves on your tongue. It's best to make this dessert the day before a big barbecue. Tucked away in the refrigerator, it stands ready to seal the meal with style."

Silky Cheesecake with Summer Fruit

1 3/4 cups (about 9 oz.) graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 TB brown sugar
1 1/2 lbs. cream cheese, at room temperature
4 eggs
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups (1 pt.) sour cream
2 ripe peaches
1/2 pt. fresh raspberries

In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and brown sugar, mixing well. Press the mixture into an even layer on the bottom of a 9" springform pan.

Preheat the oven to 325F.

Using a stand mixer with a flat beater attachment, beat together the cream cheese, eggs, 1 cup of the granulated sugar, and the vanilla at medium speed until very smooth, about 20 minutes. Pour into the crust lined pan.

Bake until the cake has puffed over the rim of the pan and the top is slightly cracked around the edges, 1 to 1 14 hours. Transfer the pan to a rack, cover and allow to cool for 30 minutes. (As the cake cools, it will sink back below the rim of the pan.) Leave the oven set at 325F.

In a small bowl, mix together the sour cream and the remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar. Pour this mixture over the top of the cake, and return the cake to the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven, allow to cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hrs. or as long as 2 days.

Remove the sides of the pan and slide the cake onto a serving plate. Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits. Thinly slice the peaches and overlap the slices around the top edge of the cheesecake. Pile the raspberries in the center.

To serve, slice the cake with a clean knife dipped in hot water before each cut, being sure to cut all the way through the crust. Serves 10 to 12

Source: Weber's Art of the Grill - Jamie Purviance
 
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20 minutes beating??? Holy cow, so much air would get beaten in there, it would float away .

Minimal beating-- ie just enough to get the eggs blended in as a LAST step-- works for me. But not using this recipe.

Glad it worked for you.

To each his own I guess.
 
A New York style cheesecake is a little denser than most. Len, that sounds like your favorite (not that I'm disagreeing, if'n it's cheesecake, I'm probably all over it.) I might have to give this a whirl. My personal favorite is currently Geoff Smith's, The Frugal Gourmet, cheesecake. A few of use refer to it as Myocardial Infarction cheesecake, so rich, it'll give you a heart attack.

A couple of years back, I remarked in an email to a friend of mine over in Green Bay that while I thoroughly enjoyed smoked food, I draw the line on cheesecake. He promptly sent me a recipe for one (which I still haven't tried. <kicks dirt>)
 
Ya, some things shouldn't be smoked. You need different flavour profiles. If everything tastes of smoke, they lose their "individuality" so to speak.

And the dense aspect is correct. Cheesecake is not supposed to be light and fluffy. That's why slices seem so small but are oh so filling. IMO.

Same applies to bread of which I know a little bit. Compare a homemade loaf that has been created in an overnight ferment vs a store bought loaf of just about any version. A LOT less yeast and LOTS more time vs a lot of yeast and a little bit of time.

Store bought has so much "commercialization" baked in that there's no texture and even less flavour. It's just something to hold the meat and cheese together. Most times I would prefer just to eat the bread with cold butter and leave the meat and cheese to mix into my omelets.

You have to try it and compare and you'll know what I mean.
 
20 minutes beating??? Holy cow, so much air would get beaten in there, it would float away .

Minimal beating-- ie just enough to get the eggs blended in as a LAST step-- works for me. But not using this recipe.

Glad it worked for you.

Hi Len, as Jamie tells us at the beginning, it is different.

We made this cheesecake back in Sept. 2018 and gave it a Very Good rating. We didn't make any other notes but Jamie did. He says, "mixing the filling of this voluptuous cheesecake for a full twenty minutes guarantees an utterly smooth and airy center that almost dissolves on your tongue. It's best to make this dessert the day before a big barbecue. Tucked away in the refrigerator, it stands ready to seal the meal with style."
 
A New York style cheesecake is a little denser than most. Len, that sounds like your favorite (not that I'm disagreeing, if'n it's cheesecake, I'm probably all over it.) I might have to give this a whirl. My personal favorite is currently Geoff Smith's, The Frugal Gourmet, cheesecake. A few of use refer to it as Myocardial Infarction cheesecake, so rich, it'll give you a heart attack.
/QUOTE]

Hi JKalchik, glad to see another Frug fan. I have most of his books. Do you mind telling me in which book I could find his cheesecake recipe? Have you tried his "Ragu" recipe? DH just loves it.
 
Joan, I don't recall what book it was published in, I've got a printed off copy from an online search for "geoff smith frugal gourmet cheesecake". GeniusKitchen's page for this says "serves 16." Hah.... convenient single serving size.

He certainly seemed to be a really good chef. I'll have to go looking for his ragu.
 
Joan, I don't recall what book it was published in, I've got a printed off copy from an online search for "geoff smith frugal gourmet cheesecake". GeniusKitchen's page for this says "serves 16." Hah.... convenient single serving size.

He certainly seemed to be a really good chef. I'll have to go looking for his ragu.
Ill be happy to post the recipe here, I'm sure others would like it also.
 

 

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