Wednesday, May 26, 2010

The Ultimate Cheesecake

I was inspired to try this recipe from Barefoot Contessa (I have all her cookbooks)because one of our son-in-laws (Jason) LOVES cheesecake. He's such a super good guy and we love him. . . .and he deserves it.
This puppy is reeeeeaaalllyy good. I'm talking crazy good. It's much lighter than most cheesecakes and just simply yummy.
Enjoy!!!

Barefoot Contessa Raspberry Cheesecake
Ingredients
For the crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)
1 tablespoon sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
2 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
5 whole extra-large eggs, at room temperature
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest (2 lemons)
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
For the topping:
nocoupons
1 cup red jelly (not jam), such as currant, raspberry, or strawberry
3 half-pints fresh raspberries
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the crust, combine the graham crackers, sugar, and melted butter until moistened. Pour into a 9-inch springform pan. With your hands, press the crumbs into the bottom of the pan and about 1-inch up the sides. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees F.

To make the filling, cream the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Reduce the speed of the mixer to medium and add the eggs and egg yolks, 2 at a time, mixing well. Scrape down the bowl and beater, as necessary. With the mixer on low, add the sour cream, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix thoroughly and pour into the cooled crust.

Bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven temperature down to 225 degrees F and bake for another 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn the oven off and open the door wide. The cake will not be completely set in the center. Allow the cake to sit in the oven with the door open for 30 minutes. Take the cake out of the oven and allow it to sit at room temperature for another 2 to 3 hours, until completely cooled. Wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the cake from the springform pan by carefully running a hot knife around the outside of the cake. Leave the cake on the bottom of the springform pan for serving.

To make the topping, melt the jelly in a small pan over low heat. In a bowl, toss the raspberries and the warm jelly gently until well mixed. Arrange the berries on top of the cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Note: Measure your springform pan. The bottom of mine measures 9 inches, but it says 9 1/2. I put the springform pan on a sheet pan before putting it in the oven to catch any leaks.

5 comments:

Memzy said...

Is this some sort of punishment?!

Elder Jack Anderson said...

Holy Moly.

That looks labor intensive. You up for making another one, say, June 30th ish??

::whispering:: no pressure.

Carol said...

Memzy--not a punishment--I'll make one for you too.

Landeelulu: Yes-labor intensive but fun. And yes--June 30th--I'll make it happen. Would you like your piece in a "to go" box for the movie?

E said...

Why is my mouth watering? I don't even like cheesecake. It's just so... golden.

eekareek said...

Yum. And I love Ina Garten too. I always watch her shows and try her recipes. So yummy.