I tend to loosely base my cheesecake on a couple of recipes. Once I've mixed
it, I taste it and add lemon juice, sugar, and/or vanilla until it tastes right.
Then I call my husband downstairs to check. He always has to taste it a second
time just to be sure.
Click on any picture to see a larger image.
One time Aidon was licking the bowl just a little too close to the kitchen
stool our young foster kitten, Bugalu, was sitting. He took a FLYING leap so he
could have some cheesecake batter, too! This is what, in my house, we call "a
camera emergency."
I've finally gotten pretty consistent results with my cheesecakes. I get that
by following the instructions from Cooks Illustrated. I preheat the oven to 500,
and let it bake at that temperature for 10 minutes. I then turn the oven down to
200, without opening the oven, and bake until done. I get a beautiful top that
way, without cracks.

My husband REALLY loves cheesecake crust, so I make a triple or quadruple
crust recipe, and bake it in a 10" pan, rather than a 9" pan.
This gives the right
crust to cheesecake ratio for him. He also likes it a little creamy in the
middle, and a little dense along the edges. We all like it this way, so it works
out!
|