Ultimate Cheesecake
Makes 1 9" or 10" cheesecake, to serve 16 to 20
Some time ago, my friend Allison sent an intriguing Washington Post article entitled "Making Cheesecake While You Sleep." It was written by Andrew Schloss, a cookbook author, and it stated flatly that the only way to make cheesecake was to bake it at 200° for eight hours -- that is, the amount of time it takes most folks to get a decent night's sleep. Schloss wrote seductively that, " . . . the results are so pristine and silken, and the timing fits so well into my sleeping schedule, that I would never bake a cheesecake any other way." Well. The cheesecake gauntlet had been flung.
With high hopes, I popped a cheesecake from my own recipe into the oven, on the middle rack, around 10:30 PM one evening. What came out of the oven the next morning was beautifully even, uncracked, unbubbled -- and the color of mahogany. I gamely made another cheesecake the very next evening, baked it overnight on the bottom rack, and it came out just the same except a tiny bit lighter in color -- the shade of teak.
Now I was mad. I'd had to chuck out two entire cheesecakes because some supposedly in-the-know loon had told me to bake the things for eight hours. The annoying thing was that Schloss' baking method made so much sense, if not for quite the length of time he'd specified; after all, as Schloss pointed out in the article, cheesecake is essentially a custard. Custards start to firm up at around 180°, and so are baked at low temperatures in order to maintain their creamy texture.
After having decided to bake the third cheesecake during the day, when I could keep an eye on it, I finally hit the jackpot. I eyeballed the cheesecake (without opening the oven door) every 45 minutes or so. When it went from appearing quite wet to having a slightly drier, almost glazed look -- about two hours after I'd put it in the oven -- I checked it. It didn't seem quite done, but it was on its way. I baked it for another 90 minutes, and what emerged from the oven this third time was spectacularly good.
This cheesecake is so fine and so transcendentally creamy and frankly, brushing shoulders with perfection, that I accept compliments about it with no pretense at modesty. This is a wonderful thing to make during the holidays, since it is best made in advance (saving you last-minute worrying) and it serves a gazillion guests (saving you having to make two desserts). As with any really good cheesecake, it needs no accompaniment other than a fork and your appetite. Hold the strawberries and the raspberry sauce and enjoy!
The cheesecake may be eaten once it is cool, but will benefit greatly from an overnight stay, loosely covered, in the icebox. To ensure maximum smoothness, it is imperative that all ingredients be at room temperature.
4 to 6 4-section graham crackers or a dozen Saltines
2 1/4 lbs. (4 1/2 8-oz. bricks) cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/3 cups (9 1/2 ozs.) sugar
2 Tablespoons lemon juice (approximately the juice of 1 lemon)
4 large eggs, room temperature
-- Lightly grease a 9" or 10" springform pan. Crush the crackers into fine crumbs and swirl around inside of pan. Your choice: discard the excess crumbs, or leave them on the bottom of the pan.
-- Place oven rack at lowest position and preheat oven to 200°. Put the cream cheese in a large mixing bowl. On medium-low speed, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Beat in the sugar, a little at a time, until smooth. Scrape down the side and bottom of the bowl.
-- Still on medium-low speed, beat the lemon juice into the batter. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and beat again briefly.
-- Slowly pour batter into prepared pan and bake on bottom oven rack at 200° for about 3 1/2 hours. Leave it in the oven with the door ajar for another hour, and then remove the cheesecake from the oven and allow it to cool completely on a wire rack in a non-drafty area. This will probably take another hour. After that, refrigerate it until about 2 hours before you want to serve it, then remove it from the fridge and allow it to come up to room temperature.
Storage
This cheesecake keeps in the icebox, loosely covered, for up to 4 days. Do not freeze, as it makes the texture funny.
Catherine S. Vodrey is available for freelance writing, editing, fundraising/development, and photography projects at:
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East Liverpool, Ohio 43920 USA
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