Looking for a luscious Dad-pleasing dessert? Cheesecake may be the best choice.
For sophisticated cheesecakes that are a cut above the expected, look for recipes that match a dominant cheese with a few carefully selected or seasonal ingredients.
Plan to make a cheesecake at least a day before serving it. Cool the cake, then let it set up overnight in the refrigerator. A day, even two, and the flavors come into their own.
Tall and creamy cheesecake
Butter for greasing the pan
13/4cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2cup finely chopped walnuts
11/3cups sugar plus 3 tablespoons, divided
Salt
4tablespoons (1/2stick) butter, melted
2pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
2teaspoons vanilla extract
4eggs, at room temperature
11/3cups mascarpone cheese, at room temperature
2cups blackberries
Make the crust: Butter a 9-inch springform pan with sides at least 23/4-inches high, and wrap the outside of the pan in a double layer of aluminum foil.
In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, walnuts, 3 tablespoons sugar and a pinch of salt. Pour in the melted butter and stir together, using your fingers or a fork, until all of the dry ingredients are uniformly moist. Place the crust mixture into the springform pan and pat an even layer (about one-quarter-inch thick) of crumbs over the bottom of the pan and about halfway up the sides. Place in the freezer while the oven heats.
Center a rack in the oven and heat to 350 degrees. Place the prepared pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Set the crust aside to cool on a rack while preparing the filling. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees.
Using a stand mixer or in a large bowl and a hand mixer, beat the cream cheese at medium speed until soft and creamy, about 4 minutes. With the mixer running, add the remaining sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt and continue to beat until the cream cheese is light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Run a spatula along the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is combined. Beat in the vanilla, then add the eggs one at a time, beating a full minute between each addition for a well-aerated batter. Reduce the mixer to low and beat in the mascarpone. Run a spatula through the batter again to evenly incorporate everything.
Place the foil-lined pan in a roasting pan. Pour half of the batter into the pan. Gently drop the blackberries over the batter, then spoon the remaining batter over the berries and smooth out the top. Make sure that the batter comes no higher than the top of the pan; you might have just a little batter left over.
Place the roasting pan in the oven and pour enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
Bake the cheesecake for 11/2 hours, until the top is browned (and perhaps cracked). Turn off the oven and prop the door open. Allow the cheesecake to sit in the water bath for an additional hour.
Remove the pan from the oven, and remove the springform pan from its water bath. Carefully remove the foil and cool the cheesecake to room temperature on a rack. Cover the top lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
To remove the sides of the springform pan: Run a blunt knife around the sides of the pan, then warm the sides of the pan lightly with a hair dryer before unmolding. To slice, run a long, thin knife under hot water then lightly wipe dry. Keep warming the knife as you slice.
The cake will keep, tightly wrapped, as long as one week refrigerated and two months frozen. To defrost, place the still-wrapped cheesecake in the refrigerator overnight.
Makes 16 servings.
Adapted from “Baking: From My Home to Yours” by Dorie Greenspan
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