Sour Cream Cheesecake Recipe Courtesy Alton Brown

Steps:

• 1.Crust: Stir together graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 1/4 cup sugar in a medium bowl.
• 2.Press into the bottom of a 9-inch spring-form pan.
• 3.Refrigerate the crust while making the filling.
• 4.Filling: Combine the cream cheese, 2/3 cup sugar, salt, beaten eggs, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla in a medium bowl. Beat at medium speed for 5 minutes.
• 5.Pour the filling into the spring-form pan over the graham cracker crumb crust.
• 6.Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes.
• 7.Cool 30 minutes before adding the sour cream topping.
• 8.Topping: Mix the sour cream, 3 tablespoons sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla together in a small bowl. Pour and spread on top of the slightly cooled cheesecake.
• 9.Bake for 10 more minutes at 350°F. Cool to room temperature and then place in refrigerator to chill before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Brush some of the melted butter around a 9 by 3-inch cake pan. Adhere parchment to the bottom and the sides.
• In a small bowl, combine crumbled graham crackers, the remaining melted butter, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Press 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the parchment-lined pan. Place remaining crumbs on a sheet pan and bake both the crust and the remaining mixture for 10 minutes. Cool. Reserve additional crumb mixture for sides.
• In a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat sour cream for 10 seconds. Add the cream cheese and sugar and mix on low for 30 seconds and then turn up to medium. Scrape the bowl.
• In a separate container, combine vanilla, eggs, yolks, and heavy cream. With the mixer on medium, slowly pour the liquid mixture inches When half of it is incorporated, stop and scrape. Continue adding the mixture until the rest of the ingredients are incorporated. Once completely combined, pour into the cooled crust.
• Lower oven temperature to 250 degrees F. Place cheesecake into a preheated water bath, in the oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and open the door for one minute. Close the door for one more hour. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place in the refrigerator for 6 hours to completely cool before serving.
• When ready to serve, place the entire cake pan into a hot water bath for about 15 seconds. Unmold onto a cake round or serving dish. Take the remaining graham cracker mixture and press into the sides of the cake.
• To slice, place your knife into a hot water bath and wipe dry each time you make a pass through the cake.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Brush some of the melted butter around a 9 by 3-inch cake pan. Adhere parchment to the bottom and the sides.
• In a small bowl, combine crumbled graham crackers, the remaining melted butter, and 1 tablespoon of sugar. Press 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the parchment-lined pan. Place remaining crumbs on a sheet pan and bake both the crust and the remaining mixture for 10 minutes. Cool. Reserve additional crumb mixture for sides.
• In a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat sour cream for 10 seconds. Add the cream cheese and sugar and mix on low for 30 seconds and then turn up to medium. Scrape the bowl.
• In a separate container, combine vanilla, eggs, yolks, and heavy cream. With the mixer on medium, slowly pour the liquid mixture in. When half of it is incorporated, stop and scrape. Continue adding the mixture until the rest of the ingredients are incorporated. Once completely combined, pour into the cooled crust.
• Lower oven temperature to 250 degrees F. Place cheesecake into a preheated water bath, in the oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off and open the door for one minute. Close the door for one more hour. Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place in the refrigerator for 6 hours to completely cool before serving.
• When ready to serve, place the entire cake pan into a hot water bath for about 15 seconds. Unmold onto a cake round or serving dish. Take the remaining graham cracker mixture and press into the sides of the cake.
• To slice, place your knife into a hot water bath and wipe dry each time you make a pass through the cake.

Steps:

• Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, ground almonds, and salt in a bowl. Drizzle melted butter and stir until evenly moistened. Press into the bottom and up the sides (as far as it'll go) of a lightly buttered 10-inch springform pan. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour to set.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
• In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar, and salt and beat until smooth. Add flour and egg yolks and mix thoroughly. Stir in sour cream, lemon juice, vanilla and nutmeg and beat until smooth.
• In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with remaining 1/4 cup sugar until it forms stiff peaks. Fold thoroughly into cream cheese mixture; no need to be terribly gentle with it, but you do want the whites to be evenly incorporated. Pour into chilled crust.
• Bake cheesecake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until top is puffed and lightly golden brown. There will be cracks, but that's what the sour cream topping is for. Without opening the oven door, turn the oven off, and let the cheesecake sit in the oven as it cools for 1 hour. Do not take the cheesecake immediately out of the hot oven or it will fall. After an hour, remove cheesecake and heat oven to 450 degrees.
• While the cheesecake is cooling, make the sour cream topping by whisking the sour cream, sugar and vanilla together until smooth. Once the cheesecake has cooled for an hour, pour the sour cream topping over top. Using a rubber spatula or offset spatula, smooth out the surface.
• Place back into the oven (remember the heat should have been increased to 450° F) and bake for about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack to let cool to room temperature.
• Refrigerate the cheesecake overnight to set. ***Don't put cheesecake in the fridge until it has cooled to room temperature.***.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Cream together cream cheese and sugar. Add eggs one at time, blending well. Add vanilla and sour cream. Pour into shortbread crust.
• Bake for 60 to 70 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cake jiggles evenly across the top when lightly shaken. Run a knife around the outside edge, but leave the cake in the pan. Let cool on counter, then place in refrigerator. Remove from pan when completely chilled, and serve.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F.
• Mix graham crumbs, 3 Tbsp. sugar and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Bake 10 min.
• Beat cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, lemon zest, juice and 1/2 tsp. vanilla with mixer until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed after each just until blended. Pour over crust.
• Bake 55 min. to 1 hour or until center is almost set. Mix sour cream, remaining sugar and vanilla until well blended; carefully spread over cheesecake. Bake 10 min. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate 4 hours.