I love cheesecake. But not the cake-y kind that remind you of a bunt cake, and definitely not the instant no-bake kind that resemble a flan. No. For me, a real cheesecake is pure CHEESE! And everybody knows I love cheese. My hubby always jokes that the reason we moved to France was to save money on our family cheese purchases. Real cheese is dessert in itself, and a real cheesecake should be dense, moist, with a perfect creamy crumble like a real cheese. If you like The Cheesecake Factory cheesecakes, you’re going to love this recipe.
As soon as I realized I could
make my own cheese, my love for cheesecake grew leaps and bounds. I’m probably the
only Parisian making my own cheese in my shoe-box sized latin quarter apartment… 🙂 But that’s me. A little
quirky, I know. If you want to replace the homemade cheese with Philly Cream Cheese, be my guest, you’ll need 2 lbs.
I’ve been working on this recipe for 4 years. As I type this entry, I have before me, my notes in shorthand on a tattered paper stained many times by the recipe it spells out. This will be my second attempt to type it out…
Nichole’s Cheesecake
Preparation : 1 heure
Cook time : 1 heure 15 minutes
Waiting time : 1 heure au four, 24 heures au frigo
Makes about 20 pieces
INGREDIENTS
12 C (3L) milk
2 tsp salt
5 tbsp white vinegar
1 pkg of graham crackers (1.5 C crumbs)
1/3 C melted butter
– – – or – – –
1 C (150g) butter cookies or shortbread
1/2 C (50g) gingerbread cookies
1/3 C (83g) melted butter
1 pkg (250g) marscapone cheese
1 1/3 C (230g) sugar
6 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 fresh lemon
1 tub (50cl) crème fraîche or sour cream
In a large pot bring 12 C milk + 2 tsp of salt to a boil.
At the first sign of bubbles add the 5 tsp of vinegar. Stir, if the curds separate from the whey, then take it off the heat and don’t touch it for two hours. (If the curds and whey do not immediately appear continue heating and add more vinegar until they begin to separate, then remove from the heat.) Once the separating process has begun, it will continue on it’s own.
I have tried to cheat and only let the cheese set for a half an hour before straining it, but I only got half as much cheese! The longer it sets the more curds it creates. So let it set while you go do something else. 🙂
After two hours you’ll need to strain your cheese,
catching all the curds and allowing all the whey to drain out. To do this you’ll need a
cheesecloth or a fine weave linen tea towel. Line your colander with this cloth and slowly pour the cold curds and whey into the middle of the cloth. Then when all the curds are piled up on the cloth, pull up each of the
four corners and grab them with one fist, grab the bulging towel full of curds on the other end with your other hand and twist. Twist, Twist, Twist. When no more whey is dripping, or if the curds start squirting through your towel, unwrap the cheese into a very
large mixing bowl. You should have about 2 lbs
(900g) of cheese.
(more about Fresh Homemade Soft Cheese here)ASSEMBLY OF THE CHEESECAKE PAN
Open the cheesecake pan, remove the walls and place the bottom on a flat surface. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper, and reattach the walls overtop leaving the parchment paper sticking out on all sides.
CRUST
Crush your cookie crumbs for the crust. Melt the butter in a small pan, add the crumbs to the melted butter and stir until all of the crumbs are evenly coated. Spread the crumbs evenly on the bottom of the prepared cheesecake pan.
CHEESECAKE BATTER
Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C).
Mix the ingredients in the following order with an electric mixer on the lowest speed.
Then add the sugar little by little, continue mixing until it’s creamy.
Add the eggs one at a time, stirring after each egg. Using an electric mixer with the eggs can cause your cake to crack down the middle.
Then add the
vanilla,
zest of the lemon, then juice the lemon and add the
juice as well.
Add the sour cream (crème fraîche) and stir well.
Pour the batter into the cheesecake pan.
Place it in the oven leaving at least two centimeters space between it and the heating elements because this cake will rise while cooking.
Cook for 15 minutes at 325°F
(170°C) ***Reduce the heat to 200°F (93°C). Bake an additional hour and a half at the reduced setting.
COOLING
Run a knife around the inside edge of the pan to separate the cake from the pan. Pop the cake back in the hot oven for another hour allowing it to cool as slowly as possible to avoid cracking. When the cheesecake has cooled completely you can transfer it to the refrigerator. Wait twenty-four hours before serving it to allow the flavors to develop.
Bon Appetit.
Cheesecake de Nichole
Préparation : 1 heure
Cuisson : 1 heure 15 minutes
Temps d’attente : 1 heure au four, 24 heures au frigo
Fait environ 20 parts
INGRÉDIENTS
3L lait
2 càc sel
5 càs vinaigre d’alcool
100g petit beurre
100g spéculos
83g beurre (1/3 d’une plaquette)
1 pkg marscapone (250g)
200 g sucre
6 oeufs
2 càc extrait de vanille
1 citron
1 pkg crème fraîche (50cl)
FROMAGE À TARTINER FAIT MAISON
3 L lait + 2 càc de sel porté à ébullition
Ajouter 5 càs de vinaigre d’alcool
Laisser refroidir et passer à étamine
(fait 900g de fromage)
LE MOULE À CHEESECAKE
Détacher le fond du moule à cheesecake et placer le tout seul sur le plan de travail. Couvrir le du papier cuisson. Attacher le cylindre du moule à cheesecake au fond en laissant le papier cuisson déborde de tous les côtés.
LA PATE
Écraser les gâteaux secs. Mélanger les avec le beurre fondu. Étaler au fond du moule.
CHEESECAKE
Préchauffer le four à 160°C.
Mélanger les ingrédients dans l’ordre suivant.
D’abord, mélanger le fromage fait maison et le marscapone avec un mixer jusqu’à léger. (until fluffy)
Ajouter le sucre petit à petit, continue à mélanger jusqu’au crémeux. Arrêter le mixer.
Ajouter les oeufs une à la fois, mélanger cette fois avec une cuillère.
Ajouter la vanille, le zeste et le jus du citron.
Ajouter la crème fraîche et mélanger bien.
Verser le tout sur la pâte déjà cuite dans le moule à cheesecake.
Faire cuire pour 15 minutes à 160°C, puis réduire le température à 93°C et cuire encore une heure et demi.
Eteindre le four. Passer un couteau entre le gateau et le moule. Laisser reposer dans le four chaud une heur et demi pour un refroidissement le plus lente possible.
Une fois refroidi sortir le cheesecake du four et laisser reposer encore 24 heures au réfrigérateur avant de le servir.
Tags: breads/pastries, cheese, Cheesecake, fait maison, fall in love, from scratch, homemade, illustrated, instructions, photos, step-by-step, sweets, traditional home style american
You are a goddess…… thank you for this!!
Olalalalala ça a l'air suuuuuuuupeeeeeeeer bon ! J'aimerais savoir combien de temps tu peux conserver ton cheesecake après ? (parce que ça fait de grosses quantités et je ne pense pas tout manger d'un coup…) est-ce que tu penses qu'on peut congeler des parts pour toujours en avoir une lors d'une subite envie ? 😀
@Romy – Mon cheesecake vieillira plus comme un fromage qu'un gateau. Ceci dit … je ne le garderai pas plus d'une semaine dans le frigo. En revanche, il vit bien un séjour au congèle. Certains, il y compris ma mère, préfèrent le cheesecake en dessert glacé.