While the Butterball may be the star of our dinner here at the mansion, nothing says Thanksgiving dessert around here more than a traditional NY style cheesecake.
Ingredients
- 5 oz finely ground Graham crackers (I buy them already ground)
- 5 TBLS. unsalted butter, melted
- 1 C sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 8 5-oz bricks of Cream Cheese
- 1 3/4 C sugar
- 3 tbls flour
- grated zest of 1 lg orange
- grated zest of 1 lemon
- 5 large eggs PLUS 2 large egg yolks
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
Assemble
- Preheat oven to 550°F.
Base
- Mix together – graham cracker crumbs, butter, salt and c. sugar
- Press into a spring form pan
- Refrigerate for 2 hours
Cheesecake
- Beat together cream cheese, sugar, flour, and zests.
- Add eggs and yolks, one at a time.
- Add the vanilla extract
- Put spring form pan with crust in a shallow dish and add boiling water to act as a water bath (this will keep the cheesecake from cracking).
- Pour filling into crust and bake in the water bath in the middle of oven for 12 minutes.
- Reduce the temperature to 200°F and continue baking until cake is mostly firm but still wet and wobbly in the center.
- Cook for approx. 1 hour
- Cool in the oven and then overnight in the refrigerator.
- Bring to room temperature before serving and garnish with strawberries, raspberries, caramel syrup, or whatever you like.
Photo courtesy of Bloggyboulga.
