NEW YORK Cheesecake for the holidays

Would it be too presumptuous for a midwest farmer's daughter to post New York Cheesecake?

I mean, outside of a few airport stops, I have never been to New York.

I'm not even sure how New York Cheesecake got its name.

I just know it is very good, and it would be a great addition for New Year's Eve.

Every time my husband's niece Jennifer is here for the holidays, I make it.

Top it with cherries.

I'm so disappointed that I didn't take a picture before I cut it.

In fact, this was the very last piece from Christmas.

Perhaps I should have set the table for one.  It would have made for a better picture.

Oh well.  I'm a work in progress.  Always room for improvement.

Here is the recipe:

Crust - 2 c. graham cracker crumbs (I use the box version now.  So much easier than mashing your own.)
            1/4 c. sugar
            1/3 c. melted butter
Combine all of the above and pat into a springform pan halfway up the sides.  (I only go about a quarter up the sides, and I make the crust as thin as possible.  I would rather eat cheesecake than crust, just my preference.)

Cheesecake - 3 x 8 oz pkg of cream cheese
                      2 c. sour cream
                      4 extra large or 6 large eggs
                      1-1/2 c. sugar
                      2 Tbl lemon juice
                      1 teas vanilla
                      2 Tbl cornstarch or flour

Beat cream cheese until smooth.  Add sugar  a little at a time while mixing.  Beat in eggs one at a time on low. Add remaining ingredients.  Beat on low for a couple minutes.  Pour into crust and bake for 1 hr at 350 degrees on mid to lower rack.  Turn oven off and let cheesecake set in the oven for another 30 minutes.  Remove and let cool completely.  Take sides off pan and slide cheesecake onto a plate.   Refrigerate.

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Those are the directions as given to me, and the way I did it for years.  First of all, I have yet to be able to slide the cheesecake off of the pan without some sort of mishap, so I take the sides off and chill the cheesecake in the refrigerator with the bottom portion of the pan still intact.  Then I cut the cheese cake in individual slices, similar as shown in the picture.  I can usually get 12 slices easily.  Cut using a very sharp knife, rinsing the knife under very hot water with each cut.  Another problem area is the crack.  There is always a crack when you don't really want to see a crack.  (Isn't there a life lesson in here somewhere?)

I now bake the cheesecake in a water bath which reduces cracking.  I first cover the bottom and up the sides with tin foil, and then place in another outer pan with water.  The foil is supposed to provide a more even temperature of baking and also cooling down.   Make sure you check your pan sizes ahead of time.  I made the mistake of not checking and spent 15 minutes looking for something the springform pan would fit into while the cheesecake was sitting in the crust.  My pan is about 9-1/4" in dia.  I used to have an 8-1/4" diameter and this recipe filled it up to the top.  Scary.  Now I have a little more breathing room.  (Important when the good oven is downstairs and I have to take it down a flight.)

 Another thing I do differently is add the eggs last.  I make sure the cheesecake is well mixed, and then I mix the eggs in a separate bowl and slowly add them to the mixture.  Do not overmix after eggs have been added.  That introduces air, and when the air needs to escape, it produces a crack.  Does that make sense?  Doing it this way, I'm no longer getting that unsightly crack in the middle.

 Oh, one last thing.  Whatever you do, DO NOT spray the springform pan with something like PAM with olive oil.  It gives the crust a horrible taste.  Ooops.  I made this mistake at Christmas.  I have never done this before in my life and why I chose to do it this time?  I have no clue.  Good thing my husband was tasting the left overs from my knife cleanings when I was cutting the slices.  He politely gave me the bad news that it "tasted funny" with a crinkled up nose.  Do you know how embarrassing it was to say, "eat everything but the crust".  Oh well, like I said, work in progress.    If you have ways for me to improve (in any area), I welcome your suggestions.

I'm linking up at 36th Avenue with Desiree's Share Awesomeness Thursday.  You can check out other great ideas for New Years Eve here and get some more awesomeness, so come over and party.