I tried to post this a few minutes ago but it never appeared. If it does after I post this, please forgive the redundancy.

I went to the grand opening of a local specialty shop and one of the samples they ahd for tasting was the most delicious cheesecake I've ever tasted. It was very rich and creamy, with a lot of body, but not too sweet - delectable. The pre-teen boy who was offering it around said that it was his grandmother's recipe and would be for sale in the store.

We went back to get one today and learned that while it is, indeed, Grandma's recipe, it's not for sale and the recipe isn't available.

Drat. I've been having wet -- salivary! -- dreams over that cheesecake for weeks.

So does anyone here have one to share?

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Saturday, May 28, 2005 - 10:14 pm: Edit

Do I !
Do you want a old classic or a new(last 20 years) one.
Cream cheese or bakers cheese.
Crust or graham.
Better break out those plastic sheets, 'cause I can't write it until tomorrow.
sorry.
Sweet Dreams........................

By Snuffaluff (Snuffaluff) on Sunday, May 29, 2005 - 09:48 am: Edit

whoa, see how excited Spike got there!?!

By Chefgibz0 (Chefgibz0) on Sunday, May 29, 2005 - 11:13 am: Edit

Spike......Jello "No Bake" does not classify as a classic......also....I do not think plastic sheets are needed for it either!

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Sunday, May 29, 2005 - 12:13 pm: Edit

LOL.

I get excited when I come home and the dog hasen't thrown up on the carpet.

You'd have to be a commie not to love a good cheesecake. HA!

By Chefgibz0 (Chefgibz0) on Sunday, May 29, 2005 - 01:10 pm: Edit

Spike.......how often does elwood do that?? I gotta cat that does it al the time....that and her 28 lb. brother always under feet.

By Cheftim (Cheftim) on Sunday, May 29, 2005 - 01:12 pm: Edit

Basic recipe/ratio for cheese cake.
3 parts cream cheese
1 part sugar
3 lg. eggs for every lb. of cream cheese.
So for t full sheets that would be
21 lb cream cheese
7 lb sugar
63 eggs
Add whatever flavorings, vanilla, lemon, almond, chocolate whatever.

The real trick to cheese cake is mixing everything without adding air into the mixture, and remembering that cheese cake isn't really a cake, (remember Sike?) it's a custard. So use low heat and don't over cook. Once it just starts to puff on the edges it's ready.

By Adelie (Adelie) on Sunday, May 29, 2005 - 01:25 pm: Edit

Ummm - I think 21 lbs. of cheese just MAY be a wee bit much for me! And how do you completely mix the ingredients without incorporating air? My heavy-duty Kenwood mixer has a paddle that would work better than a balloon whisk, but even that adds some air.

I don't know what baker's cheese is, Spike. All I've ever used for cheesecake is cream cheese, sometimes with sour cream added and sometimes without. I usually make my crust out of granola instead of Graham crackers because I like the crunch and bigger texture.

As for the age of the recipe, it doesn't matter. I suspect that the one I fell in love with is pretty old, since it was Grandma's.

I'm off to LA tomorrow because my husband's daughter is in the process of delivering the first grandchild even as I write this, so please forgive me in advance if I don't respond for a few days; not sure I'll have access to a computer until we return home next weekend. But I DO appreciate all your responses and look forward to trying some recipes...

By Cheftim (Cheftim) on Sunday, May 29, 2005 - 05:00 pm: Edit

It's the ratio that counts honey. Like:
1.5 lb cream cheese
.5 lb sugar
4-5 eggs even 4 eggs and one yolk.

Mix everything on slow speed, combine the sugar and cheese, when that is smooth add the eggs a one at a time being sure to scrape down the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.
Different crusts are a great way to put some variety in your cheese cake.

By Foodpump (Foodpump) on Sunday, May 29, 2005 - 08:07 pm: Edit

Can't argue with Spike's experience. One of my favorite tricks is to bring out the cream cheese to room temp a few hours before, so you don't have to beat so long. Another is to mix the filling a day before and let it rest in the fridge, any air incorporated will leak out overnight. There are one or two tricks up my sleeve so you don't get any cracks, but you'd have to apprentice for me for 3 years before I'd give those away...
When you do have cracks, this is what to do: Let the cake rest untill room temp., then lay a sheet of cling film over the whole surface of the cake. With your fingertips, "massage" the cracks together through the cling film. Pat down, and refrigerate. The crack will still be there, but won't look like the Grand Canyon anymore...

By Adelie (Adelie) on Sunday, May 29, 2005 - 10:06 pm: Edit

Thanks for the tips. I'll give them a try when I get back. The baby was born at 9:30 this morning, so I have to drive like hell tomorrow. The poor kid still doesn't have a name, though - they only had nine months to work that one out!

Thanks again for the helpful responses. I'll make a celebratory cheesecake (unflavored - gawd forbid flavoring in a true cheesecake!) when I return.

By Adelie (Adelie) on Sunday, May 29, 2005 - 10:06 pm: Edit

Actually, what I do when I have cracks is slosh some raspberry puree over the top...

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Monday, May 30, 2005 - 12:07 am: Edit

Well Congrats! on the Grandchild.

Gibzo- he dosen't do it very often, only when its hot outside.

Add any flavoring?...yes, but when you add choc. use a semi-sweet or a bittersweet and it will shorten the baking time.
I'm not sure air is a factor, but yes, use a paddle, and scrape the bowl and paddle a couple of times.

Granola is great to use.
Room temp cream cheese is best to work with.
I found that if you let it sit overnight, you lose volume in the mix.

If your cheesecake cracks, the oven temp is too high, turn it down and bake a little longer, or as soon as it starts to brown up take it out.
Cheesecake will continue to bake for 30 min's sitting on the table at room temp before it cools.
Recipe follows.

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Monday, May 30, 2005 - 12:53 am: Edit

cheesecake.

2-1/4 lb. cream cheese
10 oz. sugar
4 pinchs of salt
9 whole eggs and 3 egg yolks.
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 qt. sour cream
lemon juice to taste.

cream the cheese, sugar til smooth and scrape the bowl and paddle.
add van., eggs, mix for 1 min. scrape bowl.
add sour cream, lemon juice and mix, 1 min. and scrape bowl.
put mixture into 9" or 10" solid cake pans(NOT SPRING FORM) that have paper on the bottom and place pans into larger pans so you can add water. (water bath)add water to 3/4 up the side of the cheesecake pan.
bake at 360 until knife comes out clean from center.(no I don't know how long it will be cause I don't know your oven, but you'll know)

After cakes are baked and cakes are cooled, hours after or overnight, run a wet knife along edges and turn cake out on to something then turn cake out on plate. If pan does not lift off of cake, flip that puppy back over and place cake back in oven for 1-3-4 min's. this heats the butter you used for your crust and causes the air in between the paper and the crust to heat and exspand, which will lift the cake away from the pan(you won't see this happen, but it does, trust me)
take cake out and do the flip, lift thing. repeat if ness.

Topping.
sour cream
sugar
lemon juice
vanilla
mix this up, carefully place on top of cheesecake.
put back into oven for 10-15 min's at 350 f.
topping will turn golden, slightly, take out.
when you do the topping the cheesecake does not have to stay in the bath.
after you have made this, you can decide if you want more whole eggs or just yolks, or if you want more sour cream, lemon, ect.
have fun, good luck.
I also have the original "Lindy's" cheesecake recipe, which has a crust AND IS MADE WITH FLOUR, SO THAT MAKES IT A CAKE.
HaHaHa!!!! Not A Custard.

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Monday, May 30, 2005 - 01:16 am: Edit

for the chef's.

18 lbs cream cheese
4 lbs 8 oz. sugar
2 tsp. salt
12 cups eggs----10 whole, 2 yolks
1 tbsp. vanilla
3 qts sour cream
lemon juice to taste.

papered pans. bath. 360 f.
Note.---you don't need plastic for cracks with this cake. the only cracks that will happen in-from a water bath should be around the edges, and with those just gently push the cake back down BEFORE you remove from pan, in fact do it as soon as cakes comes out of oven so the two pieces melt back together.
2-10" cake pans per army square head
double stacked pizza ovens will give you 16 baking at once. the above recipe will produce 9-11 cakes. I forget how much weight in each pan.
You will get more volume if you use fresh eggs and warm cream cheese. cake will hold together so you can cut 12 pieces from it,using a knife with hot water after each cut.
adding choc. to recipe will decrease volume by 1/2 a cake. really. choc and any addition with mass will zonk the air in your mix and cause the center of the cake to rise and then fall slightly when its cooling.
so you end up with some crater looking crap, thats heavy like a frigg'in brick.
proper cakes should have a nice rounded top.
cakes not having nice rounded tops and crust completely covering the sides, will deduct 20 points from test score.
Good Luck, you have 1 hour per batch, mixing and baking.

By Chefspike (Chefspike) on Monday, May 30, 2005 - 09:14 pm: Edit

Correction to above.
1 1/2 hours for the batch. Mixing and baking
NOT 1 Hour.

You know whats funny about this, I sit here trying to imagine a bunch of Ex. Chefs doing this. It's always funny to watch Ex. Chef's work in the Pastry-Bake shop, because most just don't like it.
But at the same token, I guess they get a kick watching me,.. say..... on a hot line, LOL!!!!!
Now thats funny!