Hello again!
Guess what I realized this week...
Thanksgiving is only two weeks away!!!!!!
How did this happen? I have no idea. But here's the deal: I've got folks coming to town for Thanksgiving and I need to get on my hostess "A" game stat.
I took this (slight) panic as an opportune chance to get in a little practice. And what goes best with panic/stress?
So in order to de-stress satisfy my inner fat kid while also getting in a little Thanksgiving practice, I decided to bake my first real, made from scratch cheesecake.
A few weeks ago, my hubby bought me an amazing gift:
(cue angelic music)
And let me tell you, since then I seem to have been overtaken by the spirit of Julia Child. Except shorter... and not quite as loud... or rich... or amazingly perfect at cooking.
But at any rate, I've been finding any excuse to bake and use recipes that involve a stand mixer.
The aforementioned hubby LOVES cheesecake, and for a man that is not in to most desserts, that's really saying something. I have attempted the instant/no-bake boxes cheesecake versions before, but let's face it, those are not real cheesecakes.
So I logged on to my never-fail source for great recipes: Pinterest, right? Wrong! Foodnetwork.com. Though I adore Pinterest, the fact that Food Network's reviews from users tell the real story behind the recipe is what has always helped me produce good dishes when the pressure is on to be perfect.
And on this day, the recipe I followed (rated 4.5 stars out of 5 by users) was courtesy of the Food Network Kitchen, so I knew it would be good.
...and it is. Oh. Em. Gee. It is.
Let's get started.
Here's what you'll need to create your own Dee-ee-Licious cheesecake:
Ingredients
Crust:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
Filling:
16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
5 large eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup heavy cream
Directions
Go ahead and get that oven cranking to 350 degrees. Make sure your rack is in the middle of the oven.
Then, take the cream cheese and 5 eggs out of the fridge so they can warm to room temperature.
Now let's make the crust.
If you have a food processor, or one of these bad boys with a processor attachment:
(Cuisinart smart stick=amazing)
then break your graham crackers in half, place them in your processor, and give them a good spin until they have no more large pieces in them, just a nice, uniform crumb size throughout.
If you don't have either of these, do not fear! Just place your graham crackers in a heavy duty freezer bag and pound out your stress using your fist, a meat tenderizer, or the bottom of a heavy glass. The results are the same.
Then, place your graham crackers aside and grab your half a stick of butter.
Am I the only one that always has to double check the wrapper that 4 tablespoons is half of the stick? Can't ever seem to remember that one.
Melt the butter in the microwave for about 30-45 seconds or so in a small bowl.
Add the graham crumbs to the melted butter bowl and mix until all the crumbs are moist.
Press the crumb mixture into a 9-inch springform pan to make an even layer across the bottom like so:
Bake at 350 until the house smells amazing and the crust is golden brown.
Yummo.
Set the crust aside to cool.
Turn the oven down to 325 degrees and get ready to make some creamy deliciousness in the form of your filling.
Add your cream cheese to the bowl of a stand mixer.
(A mixing bowl and a hand mixer will work too.)
Turn your mixer on medium until the cream cheese is smooth.
Scrape down the sides. Resist the urge to lick the spatula.
Get your 2/3 cup of sugar ready.
Turn your mixer on medium-low and gradually add the sugar in, mixing until fluffy and decadent.
Scrape down the sides again (ok, go ahead and lick the spatula. I won't tell anyone) and then add in your cup of sour cream.
Mix on medium until well combined.
Scrape down the sides, then turn the mixer on low to add your 5 eggs one at a time.
Let the mixer do its thing between each egg until you can't see yellow streaks.
Oh. Yeah.
Scrape down the sides one more time, then add in your 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract and 1/2 cup of heavy cream.
I'm beginning to realize just how much of my money goes to Harris Teeter's store brand...
Next, spray the sides of your springform pan with cooking spray (I used the kind made for baking, but regular spray oil would work just the same).
Now comes the fun part. Pour your cheesecake batter into your crust.
Place your wonderful creation in the oven for 40-50 minutes, until the middle is still wobbly but the sides are golden brown.
I know waiting is hard, but try not to sit in the floor and stare hungrily at it while it bakes.
Do the dishes, watch an episode of (insert Netflix show here), stand by the oven and sniff the air, put off making a lesson plan.
When the timer goes off and your house smells like the holidays got here early, resist the urge to take it out of the oven.
Yes, you read that right.
Lots of recipes suggest taking it out and cooling it on a rack. This might work for you, if you keep your house nice and toasty. If you are anything like us, your house stays around 65 degrees or lower, which will cause your cake to crack.
Like this:
Learn from my mistakes. Do not have a sand-dollar themed cheesecake because it cooled too fast.
I did some research after I pulled up my big girl panties and stopped being disappointed at my "spaghetti-stain"ness in an otherwise "champagne" baking experience, and there's some cool science involved with why this happens.
...I won't bore you with that here.
Mainly, do not cool your perfect cheesecake on a rack.
Do this instead:
Leave your cheesecake in the oven.
Turn the oven off.
Crack the oven door so that the heat escapes.
Warm your hands over the cracked oven because you keep your house really cold in the winter.
Remember that cuddly Netflix marathons are better when the heat is turned down.
Look forward to a cuddly AND cheesecake-filled Netflix marathon later. Yuuuuummmmmmm.
Once the cake has fully cooled down (this will take an hour or so), cover the whole pan with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge to set 6 hours or overnight.
This takes a lot of willpower, I know.
And I won't judge you for having cheesecake for breakfast.
When the time has come for cheesecake bliss, run a knife around the edges of your springform pan to make sure the cake is separated from the rim.
Remove the rim and slice a big fat piece of that gorgeous decadence for yourself.
Top with strawberries, raspberries, whipped cream, pumpkin fluff (recipe here), or whatever your little heart desires. Or just eat it au natural.
Full disclosure, I had a second piece after the piece in this picture. Then another piece later that night.
And I'm going to go have another piece after I post this.
It's just that good.
Well? What are you waiting for?! Go make it yourself and see!
I hope you enjoyed today's how-to. Even if you're not gearing up for a house full on the holidays, treat yourself to a little homemade goodness. It'll taste even better because of the love you put into it, trust me.
Thanks for reading! Now go get your bake on.
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