Cheesecake

This is adapted from my awesome sister-in-law Jaimee's Cheesecake recipe. Super yummy....

First you need to wrap your 9 inch springform pan in a double layer of heavy foil. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Crust

1 1/2 cups shortbread cookies. I like to use pecan sandies.

1/4 cup melted butter

Put shortbread cookies in the food processor and mix until fine. then add the melted butter and pulse to just combine. (before I had my wonderful food processor I smashed them in a ziploc bag with a rolling pin and stirred butter in with a fork)

then bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes

filling

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 pkg cream cheese

4 eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla

pinch of salt

The key to this recipe is to have all of the ingredients (eggs and cream cheese) for the filling at room temperature or it will never be smooth. While the crust is baking, whip the cream cheese until light and fluffy then slowly pour the sugar in a slow and steady stream. Once that is incorporated add eggs one at a time mixing throughly between eggs. Then add vanilla.

Remove the crust from oven, reduce the temperature to 325 and pour the filling into the foil wrapped springform. Bring water to a boil on the stovetop and set your roaster in the oven. Place the springform into the roaster and ladle the boiling water into the roaster around the springform to about halfway up the pan.

Bake at 325 for 60-65 minutes

Once it is baked turn off oven, open door and allow to sit for about an hour. Let stand in the firdge overnight. Or at least 6 hours.

The cheesecake is wonderful all by itself and you can top it with anything. I usually make a Dulce de Leche Sour cream layer and put it on top after a few hours.

For my dulce I take a can of sweetened condensed milk and put it in a pressure cooker covered with water and cook for about 25 minutes once it is up to pressure. That stuff is amazing and I can eat it with a spoon and be perfectly happy. But then I take 1 can of the dulce and mix it with about 12 ounces of sour cream. That, on top of the cheesecake is best enjoyed while you are locked away in a quiet room with a good book.

I am salivating now....... :)