New York Style Cheesecake

By kathya5084

Made from the Cook's Illustrated instructions, wonderful basic cheesecake. Didn't crack, lovely golden top and wonderful creamy texture. One of the better recipes I've tried for a "New York" cheesecake.

Ingredients

• Crust
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (I used already crushed from the grocery)
• 5 tbsp of butter, melted plus 1 additional tbsp for greasing pan.
• 1 tbsp of sugar
• Filling
• 2 1/2 lbs. (5 packages) of cream cheese, softened to room temp
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of sugar
• 2 teaspoons of real vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons of fresh lemon juice
• 1/3 cup of sour cream
• 6 whole eggs
• 2 egg yolks

Details

Servings 12
Cooking time 90mins

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Adjust rack to lower middle position
Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar in medium bowl. Add the 5 tbsp of butter and toss with a fork until crumbly. Brush bottom and sides of 9 in spring form pan with most of the remaining butter leaving some to brush the pan again later.
Press the crumbs in the bottom of the prepared pan, bake until fragrant and beginning to brown around the edges, for 13 minutes. Cool on a wire rack while making the filling.
Brush sides of spring form pan with remaining melted butter generously after the crust has cooled.
Turn oven up to 500 degrees.
In a large bowl, Beat the cream cheese on medium low speed for about 1 minute, to get out most of the big lumps. Scrape beater
Add the salt, add half the sugar, beat about 1 minute. Scrape bottom of bowl and sides.
Beat in the remaining sugar, until combined, about one minute. Scrape bowl.
Add the sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla. Beat at low speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Scrape bowl. Add yolks and beat at medium low until combined, about 1 minute.
Add the whole eggs two at a time, beating until well combined after each addition and scraping bowl each time.
Pour batter into cooled crust and place on a lipped baking sheet in case there is spillover.
Bake at 500 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 200 degrees.
DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN DOOR.
Bake 90 minutes. Instant read thermometer inserted in center should read 150 degrees.
Remove from oven, cool for five minutes on wire rack.
Run knife around the outer edge of the cake.
Allow to cool for 3 hours at room temp.. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. Cake can be refrigerated up to 4 days.
Best served 30 minutes out of the refrigerator.
Above is the basic recipe.
For a simple topping Pour Ganache over the cheesecake.
Raspberry cheesecake
Melt 3 tbsp of raspberry jam and pour half the batter in the pan and swirl 1/2 of the jam. Pour the remaining batter and swirl again.
Brush more melted jam, on the top of cake with a pastry brush, after the cake had completely cooled (next day is fine).
You can also put raspberries on top.
This would be a very good cheesecake, the jam forms a glaze.