I got this recipe from Dena Feldman, a colleague of mine from way back when. I didn't even like cheesecake in those days because it always tasted so...crumbly. She swore to me that this is the creamiest cheesecake ever, and I tried it for my first Shavuot with Isaac. He loved it and we've had it every year since, except for once. That year I decided to make a low-fat cheesecake. After the holiday, Isaac begged me, "Please. We only eat cheesecake once a year. Can't we have the real thing?" And it's been the good stuff ever since.
Of course when I moved to Israel, I had to make adjustments. This
became this
and this
became this
The variety of cheese products here in Israel is amazing and in honor of the holiday new products are always introduced. These substitutes work great and we've of course continued our cheesecake tradition here. Only problem is, because the holiday is only one day here, there is usually a leftover piece for us to pick at...
Here is the recipe, in both American and Israeli amounts:
Honey graham crackers (petit-bars work fine here in Israel)
453 grams (16 oz.) cream cheese--trust me, use Tempt-tee in the US and Napolitan here in Israel
453 grams (16 oz.) sour cream
3 eggs
1 cup of sugar (divided in thirds)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Pre-heat oven to 191 degrees (375 in the US)
Crumb cookies and press them into 8 or 9 inch (no I don't know the centimeters) springfoam pan.
Whip cream cheese and sour cream, well--NO LUMPS! Add one egg and 1/3 cup of sugar three times. Add vanilla extract and pour into pan.
Bake for thirty minutes and then turn oven off. Leave the cake for an hour, and DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN.
My cake always cracks and I'm okay with that. I know there's a way to prevent it, but the cracks don't bother me, I rather like them. You can always cover the cake with strawberries or caramel if you want. I've tried baking it in a water bath, but it came out the same so its not worth the effort, if you ask me.
I know it's to late for Shavuot, but hey, you can eat cheesecake anytime, no?
I'm no longer in contact with Dena, but I'll always remember her fondly for giving me the best cheesecake recipe ever.
3 comments:
Can it be whipped by hand? Or in a blender?
Also, what would happen if I added one cup of sugar and mixed that, rather than "1/3 cup of sugar three times"?
I hate baking, but I love cheesecake....
I use a hand mixer to mix it.
You know, I've always wondered what would happen if I just dumped in the sugar and then followed with the three eggs, but Dena was very clear about these instructions and since I only make this cake once a year, I don't want to chance it. If you try it, let me know what happens....
LOL -- I meant whipped with a fork... I don't even have a hand mixer.....
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