Recipe for "cheesecake-1"

NAME

     CHEESECAKE-1 - Legendary cheesecake
     This is from a dessert-chef friend of a regular-chef friend,
     and  apparently  won some award. I've had cheesecakes that I
     think are more impressive (including one I can make), but  I
     think  I'm something of a cheesecake connoisseur.  If I want
     to blow people's socks off, this is the one I cook.  I think
     that  every time I've served it to a new group, at least one
     person has said ``That was the  best  cheesecake  I've  ever
     had.''

INGREDIENTS (one cheesecake)

          CRUST:
     500 g     graham cracker crumbs
     100 g     melted butter
     20 g      white sugar
     2.5 ml    ground cinnamon
          CAKE FILLING:
     700 g     cream cheese
     150 g     sugar
     3         eggs
     60 ml     lemon juice
     10 ml     grated lemon rind
     10 ml     vanilla
          TOPPING:
     500 ml    sour cream
     30 g      sugar
     5 ml      vanilla
          GLAZE:
     100 g     sugar
     25 ml     cornstarch
     1 ml      salt
     170 ml    water
     75 ml     lemon juice
     1         egg yolk, WELL BEATEN.
     15 g      butter

PROCEDURE

          (1)  Preheat  oven  to  175  deg.  C.   Combine   crust
               ingredients.  Press  crust  on bottom and sides of
               buttered 25 cm springform pan. Bake 5 minutes, and
               cool.
          (2)  Beat cheese until soft. Add sugar and blend  well.
               Add  eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
               Mix in the lemon rind and the vanilla, and add  to
               the  mixture.  Pour  into the pre-baked crust, and
               bake 35 minutes.
          (3)  Combine topping  ingredients,  spread  on  top  of
               cheesecake,  and  return to oven immediately. Bake
               10-12 minutes and remove from oven.
          (4)  Combine dry glaze ingredients;  add  liquid  glaze
               ingredients.  Cook  over low heat until thick. Add
               15 g of butter. Cool, and spread this glaze on the
               cake before the glaze thickens too much.

NOTES

     Some pointers: this is the traditional crust,  but  I  often
     use  a  more  floury-baked-pie-crust-like one.  It's not too
     critical.  The magic to getting the texture  perfect  is  in
     how  you beat the cheese.  I use a kitchen aid, work slowly,
     scrape the bowl  often,  and  ALWAYS  USE  ROOM  TEMPERATURE
     EVERYTHING.   Using  cold  cream  cheese  guarantees  lumps.
     Don't beat too hard before putting in the  sugar,  but  make
     sure it's even and fluffy before the eggs go in. Then again,
     don't overbeat. It takes practice.
     I've been known to make it with no sugar or vanilla  in  the
     topping, and I think it's more interesting. but the contrast
     between the layers may confuse those accustomed  to  restau-
     rant cheesecakes.
     The glaze is easy as glazes go, but treat it  properly.   In
     particular, stir constantly until it's thick, but don't stir
     hard or you'll break down the starch.

RATING

     Difficulty: rather difficult (timing is critical.)  Time:  1
     hour.  Precision: measure carefully.

CONTRIBUTOR

     Rob Pike, research!rob
     AT&T Bell Laboratories, Murray Hill, NJ