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The Best New York Style Cheesecake by Anissa Bravo
Story and Photos by Stela Khury

When Anissa Bravo, Junior English major, tried to decide what sort of food she would both feel comfortable preparing and enjoy eating, she sensed a pattern. Bravo noticed that she kept seeking out dishes that she could share easily. Her dream job as a teacher showed through her desire to unite over an often overlooked task. Bravo felt an evening off to order pizza was a fun idea, but actually taking up the task of preparing a meal was even more rewarding, if not therapeutic.

“I genuinely love all types of food! I do enjoy Mexican food because that is definitely comfort food for me; I also love Asian and Italian cuisine,” Bravo says. “But anything sweet is definitely a favorite for me.”

Bravo decided she wanted to bake a comforting dessert for her closest group of friends. She says St. Mary’s has a “homey vibe” that welcomes simple pleasures, thus she picked the simplest and most delicious dessert of all: cheesecake.  Bravo felt that after a rough start to the semester, a Friday night watching the Lord of the Rings while munching on a slice of freshly baked cheesecake was just what she and her friends needed.

“I chose the New York cheesecake with a blueberry topping because it is very delicious and also fun to make,” Bravo says. “There really isn’t any other special significance besides that I adore cheesecake… and blueberries. So, as a combination, they’re pretty spectacular.”

Bravo says that cheesecake is a fairly easy recipe to make, because it basically involves “mixing ingredients and pouring them on a pan.” The only downside of cheesecake over a plain cake is that the cheesecake needs time to cool. The New York style of cheesecake, according to Bravo, is one of the easiest if one needs to “get eating fast.” Bravo’s secret hint is to let the cheesecake cool for 30 minutes on top of the oven and then an hour in the freezer, which should allow for a firm, delicious cheesecake in half the time.

Bravo also advises aspiring chefs to remember to add a fruit topping.

“Plain cheesecake is delicious, but nothing beats a tasty kick of sweet berries,” Bravo says. “Also, the way it looks at the end is so beautiful that it makes [this cheesecake] a rewarding dessert to bake.”

Ingredients

Crust:

• 2c finely ground graham crackers (about 30 squares)
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

• ·2 (8-oz) blocks of cream cheese
• ·3 eggs
• ·1c sugar
• ·1 pint sour cream
• ·1 tsp vanilla extract

Fruit topping:

• ·1 pint blueberries, raspberries or cherries
• ·2T sugar

In a saucepan add all the ingredients and simmer over medium heat for five minutes, or until the fruit begins to release juice and the sugar to become firm. The ideal point is when, by mixing the contents of the pan, the sauce is only thick enough for the bottom of the saucepan to be perfectly visible for a moment.

Servings: 8-12

Directions

Prepare the oven by preheating it to 325°F.

In a bowl, combine the ingredients for the crust with a fork until evenly moistened. Coat the bottom and sides of pan with either cooking spray or regular cooking oil.

Pour the mixture into the pan and press the crumbs down onto the bottom of the pan and an inch up on the sides to form the base of the cheesecake.

Next, with aid of a mixer, beat the cream cheese with the vanilla extract for one minute until smooth.

On a separate bowl, add sour cream and fold in one egg at a time. Continue to beat slowly until combined. Gradually add sugar and beat these components until creamy (one or two minutes.)

Combine the cream cheese and sour cream mixtures and beat until smooth and even.

Pour the filling into the crust-lined pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

Cover the cheesecake pan with aluminum foil and place it in the oven. Bake for 45 minutes.

Let the cheesecake, still slightly jiggly, to cool in the pan for 30 minutes.

Chill in the refrigerator for at least four hours.

Finally, unmold and transfer to a cake plate.

Using a spatula spread a layer of the fruit topping of choice over the surface.

Filed under: Class Projects, Desserts, Recipes | Tagged: anissa bravo, blueberry topping, cheesecake, desserts, new york style cheesecake, St. Mary's University, stela khury, tasteofstmu | 1 Comment »