New York Style Cheesecake With A Fresh Strawberry Topping Recipe 455

Steps:

• Crust: Break graham crackers into small pieces and transfer to a food processor. Pulse until you have fine, uniform graham cracker crumbs. You should have 1 cup of crumbs. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325°F. Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar in medium bowl; add 5 tablespoons melted butter and toss with fork until evenly moistened. Brush bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan with most of remaining melted butter, reserving a bit to brush the pan again before putting in the filling. Empty crumbs into springform pan and press evenly into pan bottom. Bake until fragrant and beginning to brown around edges, about 13 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling. Filling: Increase oven temperature to 500°F. Cut room temperature cream cheese into small chunks. For easier cutting, you may also cut into chunks before allowing to come to room temperature. In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese at medium-low speed to break up and soften slightly, about 1 minute. Scrape beater and bottom and sides of bowl well with rubber spatula; add salt and about half of sugar and beat at medium-low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape bowl; beat in remaining sugar until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape bowl; add sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla, and beat at low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape bowl; add yolks and beat at medium-low speed until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Scrape bowl; add whole eggs two at a time, beating until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute, and scraping bowl between additions. Set springform pan on rimmed baking sheet (to catch any spills if springform pan leaks). Pour filling into cooled crust and bake 10 minutes. Without opening oven door, reduce oven temperature to 200°F and continue to bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of cheesecake registers about 150°F, about 1.5 hours. Transfer cake to wire rack and cool 5 minutes; run paring knife between cake and side of springform pan. Cool until barely warm, 2.5 to 3 hours. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours. (Cake can be refrigerated up to 4 days.) To un-mold cheesecake, remove sides of pan. Slide thin metal spatula between crust and pan bottom to loosen, then slide cake onto serving plate. Let cheesecake stand at room temperature about 30 minutes before cutting into wedges and serving with strawberry topping. Topping: Toss berries, sugar, and salt in medium bowl; let stand until berries have released juice and sugar has dissolved, about 30 minutes, tossing occasionally to combine. Process jam in food processor until smooth, about 8 seconds; transfer to small saucepan. Bring jam to simmer over medium-high heat; simmer, stirring frequently, until dark and no longer frothy, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice; pour warm liquid over strawberries and stir to combine. Let cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 2 hours or up to 12 hours. To serve, spoon a portion of topping over each slice of cheesecake.

Steps:

• Wash strawberries and remove stems; cut large berries in half or roughly chop them.
• Combine strawberries, sugar, and vanilla in a saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. The mixture will sizzle for a while, but then juice will begin to form. Continue stirring; mash a few strawberries with a wooden spoon or heat-proof spatula to help produce the syrup. Cook until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes.
• Remove from heat. In a blender, puree about 1/3 of the sauce, then mix back into remaining topping. Store in refrigerator.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Butter the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. In a mixing bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, and 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar and mix well. Press onto bottom of springform pan and bake until golden, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool. When completely cooled, butter the sides of the pan.
• Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
• In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, 1 1/2 cups sugar, zests, and vanilla and beat until light and creamy. Add the flour, then the eggs and yolks 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the sour cream, vanilla bean seeds, and bourbon and mix until smooth. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Wrap the pan in foil and place in a roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with enough hot water to come half way up the sides of the pan. Bake for 1 1/2 hours.
• Transfer cake to a cooling rack and let cool completely. Refrigerate cake overnight before serving. Cut into wedges and top with strawberry sauce.
• Combine berries, sugar, water and zest and cook until berries are soft and the liquid is thick, about 10 minutes. Stir in the kirsch or brandy and cook for 1 minute.
• Remove from the heat and let cool. Spoon on top of the cheesecake and serve.

Steps:

• Prepare the crust: In the bowl of an electric mixer or a food processor, cream together butter and brown sugar until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in honey.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together flours, cocoa, salt and cinnamon. With mixer running on low speed or using the pulse button on the food processor, add dry ingredients to butter mixture in two batches. Scrape dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Flatten into a disk and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Place dough round between two sheets of parchment or wax paper. Working quickly, roll out dough to a thickness of 1/8 inch. If dough becomes sticky, chill in refrigerator until firm. Transfer dough to an 8- or 9-inch springform pan. Press into bottom of pan and 2/3 up the sides (don't worry if the sides aren't even). Prick bottom with a fork. Refrigerate 20 minutes.
• Heat oven to 325 degrees. Place pan on a baking sheet and transfer it to oven; bake until crust is golden and dry to touch, about 25 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.
• Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Put red wine in a small saucepan and sprinkle gelatin on top. Let rest for 5 minutes, until absorbed. Put pan over low heat and stir until gelatin dissolves. Don't let gelatin boil, which impedes its gelling power. Let cool.
• In a food processor or electric mixer, combine cream cheese, granulated sugar and goat cheese; blend until smooth. Stop once or twice to scrape down sides of bowl and blend again. Add chopped berries and gelatin mixture and blend until incorporated (berries will break down to a purée, which is fine). Scrape mixture into cooled crust; cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours or overnight. Top with sliced or whole strawberries before serving.