new york-style cheesecake: the taste test

This week was an enormous success. It helped to restore some of the faith in my abilities that I lost with the cookie-burning fiasco the previous week. The cheesecake looked good, but most importantly, it tasted fantastic.

Someone pointed out to me that I forgot to mention that I used chocolate wafer cookies for my crust, so it looked like I just burned regular Nilla Wafers when making my crust. Sorry to anyone who got confused! I used a package of chocolate wafer cookies that were actually very overpriced for a 9 oz. package of cookies. When I saw that they cost almost five bucks for the sleeve, I almost threw in the towel on the chocolate crust and went for a package of graham crackers instead. I would have had to find a different recipe, which was somewhat difficult since I was at the store and had all the other ingredients ready to go. Thankfully, Mom and Dad were bankrolling this week’s operation (thanks guys!) and my Mom said to just go ahead and get them.

It was worth it – the crust turned out so perfect. It held up and didn’t crumble when we cut up the cheesecake. And when we took a bite of the cake with the crust, it had held up so well that it wasn’t soggy at all. It still had some crunch to it without being overly crispy. It was just the way that I like the crust on my cheesecake. I was so thrilled with the way it turned out.

Now the filling of the cheesecake was a little different. It tasted fantastic, it was creamy and silky smooth. However, because I defied some of Martha’s instructions, a tiny bit of the center had not quite set all the way. Honestly, I think that had I just refrigerated it for the full six hours instead of just four, it would have been perfect. But that also means that some of Martha’s instructions are a tad too much, since the cheesecake didn’t go into the refrigerator once it had completely cooled. The spring-form pan was still warm to the touch when I put it in the fridge, but with dinner needing to be cooked, I didn’t have any more time to wait for the cake. Next time, though, the cheesecake will be an all-day affair, not just an all-afternoon and evening affair.

Our family friend June joined us for dinner and dessert the night that we had cheesecake. In addition to helping take the spring-form pan off the cheesecake when it became a two-person operation because the bottom lip of the pan was a little bent. June called my whole meal “real adult food” in contrast to the fare she typically has at home with her 11 year old grandson. I had roasted a whole chicken on top of some potatoes and chorizo, and also made a garlic soup, and kale with pine nuts and raisins. We’d had a great feast and the cheesecake was the perfect ending to the whole meal.

Thanks for reading!

- Jon