I pulled a Nigella last night. You know how, at the end of the episode, she is caught raiding the fridge in the middle of the night, noshing on something delicious. Well, I did just that. I had baked a cheesecake to take to my pottery class. I'm known for many things, but my cheesecake is legendary, end of story. And after everyone in class had had their way with all its luciousness, there was still a piece left, which I stashed in the fridge when I got home.But I couldn't resist it. Who could? I mean, really, if you don't like it, I don't think I want to know you. So midnight found me with my slice of cheesecake in my pj's watching an episode of The Golden Girls. It just seemed appropriate.
Here is the basic cheesecake recipe, which I then embellish as the mood strikes me. Sometimes I change the cookies used for the crust, sometimes the flavorings for the filling, and almost always the topping. But this is the basic, tried and true.
Bitch's Best Cheesecake
3 cups cookie crumbs
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
32 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
slurp of vanilla
Preheat your oven to 350º. Blitz your cookies in the food processor until you have the required amount of crumbs. Tip these into a bowl and mix in the butter by hand until it is well incorporated. Press the buttery crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch springform tin. Wrap the bottom of the tin in a double layer of foil and bake for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whip the cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla. Once the crust has baked, turn down the oven to 325º. Pour the filling into the pan and bake for one hour and 15 minutes, until it's just slightly set in the middle and a teasing brown on top. Turn off the oven, open the door slightly, and let cool in the oven for an hour. Chill well before topping and serving.
Note: I use ginger snaps for the crust most often. Very, very rarely do I use graham crackers. I've been known to use shortbread or chocolate sandwich cookies, too. Do not melt the butter when mixing with the crumbs, else I will come to your house and spank you. For the filling, sometimes I will add a bit of lemon zest, if there happens to be a lemon about the kitchen. Sometimes I'll use a liquer instead of vanilla or some other extract. For toppings, I've gone simple with just berries or more elaborate.
For this particular cheesecake, the crust is ginger snaps with a vanilla flavored filling. It is topped with a jar of my delectable summer solstice preserves of blueberry and cherry. Stay tuned for other variations.
