Sorta.
I love, love, love Tyler Florence's recipe for the Ultimate Cheesecake. I love the cinnamon in the crust.. I love the flavor. But I can NOT get it to come out without cracks and looking all distorted. (most definitely operator error!)
I also have made and adore Chantal's New York Cheesecake from allrecipes.com. Whenever I make it, the consistency is smooth and creamy and there are no cracks to speak of. Plus its stinking delicious!
So I figured, why not merge the two and create my favorite cheesecake ever!
I made this to bring to my hubby's' family's Thanksgiving celebration this Sunday, and actually snapped these pictures when we were there. Please forgive the poor quality!
Here is Tyler's recipe for perfect blueberries and crust:
Lemon Blueberry Filling (modified just slightly, I dont use the zest of the lemon, plus I doubled his recipe)
2 pints fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
4 tablespoons sugar
In a small saucepan add all the ingredients and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes or so until the fruit begins to break down slightly. Leave to cool before spreading on cheesecake.
Crust
2 cups finely ground graham crackers
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter
(his directions exactly)
In a mixing bowl, combine the ingredients with a fork until evenly moistened. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of an 8-inch spring form pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Pour the crumbs into the pan and, using the bottom of a measuring cup or the smooth bottom of a glass, press the crumbs down into the base and 1-inch up the sides. Refrigerate for 5 minutes.
And here is Chantal's recipe for the perfect New York cheesecake:
4 (8 oz) packages cream cheese (no low fat here!)
1 1/2 cups white sugar
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/4 cup all purpose flour
(these are her directions exactly)
| 1. | Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch springform pan. |
| 2. | In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press onto bottom of springform pan. |
| 3. | In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crust. |
| 4. |
Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 to 6 hours; this prevents cracking. Chill in refrigerator until serving. |
The only difference I made is to add the eggs after I add the sour cream and vanilla. (still adding flour last) This reduces the amount of mixing that happens to the eggs, helping to increase your chances for a perfect, crack free top!
I have also read that making sure all your ingredients are room temperature is the way to go. I usually do this and find success!
Truly, this is the most wonderful cheesecake.
It can stand all alone or lends itself beautifully to a sweet berry topping.
I hope you will try it!