The Perfect Classic Cheesecake With Strawberry Meringue Topping Food

STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Place oven racks in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a medium-sized bowl, stir graham cracker crumbs together with sugar and melted butter until well incorporated and the mixture looks like damp sand. Using the bottom of a measuring cup, press crust into the bottom and halfway up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
• In a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, mix cream cheese 30 seconds 'til smooth. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and add in granulated sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix again until incorporated. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl and mix again briefly.
• Crack eggs into a liquid measuring cup and using a fork, beat until well scrambled. With the mixer on low, slowly pour in the eggs into the cream cheese mixture and stop stirring once the eggs have been incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer and scrape the sides and bottom again, ensuring the entire mixture is smooth. If there are a few small lumps, try to fold in using the rubber scraper.
• Once the batter is completely smooth and ready, tap the bowl on the counter for 30-45 seconds to remove as many air bubbles as possible. You should see them popping on the surface as you tap the bowl. Pour filling into the center of the graham cracker crust and gently smooth the top. It will be very full!
• Bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees. Reduce temperature to 250 degrees and continue cooking for 45 minutes more. Once this time has elapsed, turn the oven off and keep cheesecake inside for another 30 minutes for some carryover cooking without opening the oven door. Crack oven door to let cheesecake cool slowly for one hour before removing. At this point, cheesecake should be slightly warm. Bring cheesecake to room temperature on the counter (3-4 hours) before covering with plastic wrap and transferring to the fridge.
• Refrigerate until chilled completely (6 hours to overnight). Open springform pan and remove the collar.
• For the Strawberry Sauce, wash and slice 1 pound of strawberries and place into a small saucepan. Sprinkle in sugar and water. Heat over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Cook strawberries for 10 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Pour into a blender and blitz until completely smooth. Chill in the freezer for 10-15 minutes in a shallow dish.
• Wash and slice the remaining pound of strawberries and decorate the chilled cheesecake with them. (Pile them high!) Pour half of the strawberry sauce over top of the entire cheesecake.Cut into slices** and serve with remaining strawberry sauce.

CLASSIC CHEESECAKE WITH STRAWBERRY SAUCE

Steps:

• Make the Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 inch springform pan with nonstick spray and make sure the bottom is securely fastened. Stir together crust ingredients and press into prepared pan and up the sides a bit (see photos above). Bake this for 8 minutes. Set aside. Keep the oven on at 350.
• Make the Cheesecake Filling: Remember that your cold ingredients need to come to room temp before you start or the filling won't turn out. In a large mixing bowl, cream the softened cream cheese until nice and creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Add the sugar and mix until just incorporated. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing after each until just incorporated. Add the vanilla and sour cream, and mix until just incorporated. (See photos above for what the batter will look like). Pour the batter over the baked and cooled crust, and smooth the top with a spatula.
• Prepare the Water Bath + Bake: Get out a roasting pan and set the rack aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Set the springform pan with the cheesecake on a rack positioned in the center of the oven, and place the roasting pan on the rack below. Pour the boiling water into the roasting pan. This is the best way to do a water bath - no possibility of leakage into your cheesecake!Bake for 88-91 minutes. When done, the cheesecake will have only a slight wobble in the center, and a toothpick inserted into the edge will come out clean, and will have a bit of thick batter when inserted into the center. Turn off the oven and crack the door open. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 1 hour before removing it.
• Cheesecake Cooling: Once the hour is up, remove the pan from the oven. It should be cool enough to handle. Remove the foil and set the springform pan on a cooling rack to continue cooling. Let cool completely at room temp, then cover well with foil and refrigerate at least 4 hours or up to 2 days before removing from the pan and serving.
• Make the Strawberry Sauce: Stir together the cornstarch and water in a small bowl, making sure the cornstarch is fully dissolved. Add this and remaining sauce ingredients to a pot on the stove over medium heat. Stir, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Once simmering, cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and allow to cool. It will thicken more and more the longer you let it cool. Store in the fridge in an airtight container until ready to use.
• Serve + Store: Once cheesecake has chilled, remove it from the springform pan and serve with the strawberry sauce! Keep leftovers, well covered, in the fridge for up to a week.

CLASSIC CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Combine graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 2 tablespoons sugar in a bowl. Mix until evenly moistened; press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan and place in the refrigerator.
• Beat cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Add 1 cup sugar and beat until combined. Add eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; beat on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Pour cream cheese mixture into the chilled cracker crust and spread to evenly cover crust.
• Pour enough water into a rimmed baking sheet to cover the bottom, and place the springform pan on top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, about 1 hour. Remove from the oven and increase oven temperature to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C).
• Just before cheesecake finishes baking, combine sour cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract in a bowl for the topping. Spread evenly on top of the cheesecake.
• Return to the oven and bake for 5 minutes. Set the pan on a wire rack, and allow the cheesecake to cool at room temperature, about 1 hour. Refrigerate until completely chilled, about 4 hours, before serving.

PERFECT CHEESECAKE EVERYTIME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Whisk together the crushed graham crackers, the 1 teaspoon sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts. Stir in the butter. Press the mixture into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven; allow crust to cool.
• Beat the cream cheese with the eggs on medium-low with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the 1 cup sugar and vanilla. Fold in the sour cream just until blended. Do not overmix; ovemixing causes the cheesecake to crack. Pour into the cooled crust.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Turn oven off. When the cheesecake has reached room temperature, chill in refrigerator for 8 hours before serving.

STRAWBERRY TOPPING (FOR CHEESECAKE)

Steps:

• Combine cornstarch and lemon juice. In a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and lemon juice.
• Add ingredients to pot. Add the lemon juice/cornstarch mixture to a medium saucepan, along with the strawberries and sugar.
• Cook strawberry sauce. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally allowing the mixture to boil, and the strawberries to cook down, about 20 minutes until thickened. Mash down the strawberries slightly as it cooks, with a wooden spoon, potato masher or heat-proof spatula. I like to leave some of the unmashed and bigger (but you can mash the topping down as much as you want).
• Cool and store. Remove from heat. Stir in the vanilla (if using), and allow to cool completely . Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

THE PERFECT CLASSIC CHEESECAKE WITH STRAWBERRY MERINGUE TOPPING

Steps:

• Adjust oven to rack lower-middle position and heat oven to 325F/163C degrees.
• Brush the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with 1/2 tablespoon of melted butter.
• In a food processor, combine the graham crackers (or digestive biscuits) and sugar, and process until finely ground, about 30 seconds.
• Add the flour and salt and pulse to combine. Add the 6 tablespoons of melted butter and pulse until crumbs are evenly moistened.
• Transfer the crumb mixture to the prepared pan and spread to evenly cover the bottom. Using the flat bottom of measuring cup or ramekin, firmly press to pack the crust into the pan.
• Bake until fragrant and beginning to brown around edges, about 13 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and set aside to cool completely. Maintain oven temperature. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment (or in a large bowl and using a hand electric mixer) beat cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and free of lumps.
• Add in the sugar and beat until well combined. Add in the sour cream, lemon juice and vanilla, and mix until incorporated.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, then beat the mixture for a few more seconds until the batter is smooth. Be careful not to overmix. If the batter has lots of cream cheese lumps, pour it through a fine mesh strainer to smooth it a out.
• Gently draw tines of fork across the surface of the cake to pop air bubbles.
• Prepare the pan (with the cooled crust) for the water bath, by placing it in a turkey roasting bag; do not close the top. Then secure it by wrapping a triple layer of foil around the bottom and up the sides of the pan. This helps seal the pan well so the water from the water bath doesn't seep into the pan and soak the crust. (The roasting bag step is optional but recommended, as it really does the trick at keeping all the water out. Foil wrap only, does not guarantee leak-free baking)
• Pour the batter over the cooled crust, then place in a large roasting pan. Taking care not to splash water into the cheesecake pan, pour enough boiling water into the roasting pan, to reach halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan.
• Transfer the roasting pan to the oven, and bake the cheesecake at 325F/163C degrees for 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the cheesecake's outer three inches look slightly puffed and set, but the inner circle still jiggles slightly when you gently shake the pan and the internal temperature of the cheesecake's center registers 165F/74C.
• Turn off the oven heat and crack the oven door open just by 1-inch. Let the cheesecake cool inside the oven for 1 hour. This gentle cooling process prevents the cheesecake from collapsing and helps avoid cracks from happening, ensuring a very creamy filling.
• Remove the cheesecake from the oven and from the water bath, unwrap the foil and roasting bag. Let cool for 5 minutes, then run a thin-bladed knife between the cheesecake and the side of springform pan to loosen. This helps avoid cracking as the cheesecake cools. Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely; about 2 hours.
• Lay a triple layer of thick paper towels over the springform pan, without touching the surface of the cheesecake. This soaks up any condensation that may occur during chilling. Then wrap the pan with the paper towels still intact, tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold and firmly set, at least 6 hours or up to 3 days. Meanwhile, prepare the other cake components , if using.
• Adjust oven to rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 200F/93C degrees.
• In a medium saucepan, heat an inch or so of water until barely simmering over medium-low heat.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer (or any heatproof bowl), whisk together egg whites and sugar until combined. Place the bowl over the pot of barely simmering water, making sure the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl.
• Stir gently but continuously until the sugar dissolves and mixture is warm, about 3 minutes. To be sure, rub the mixture between your fingers and you shouldn't fell any graininess. Add salt and cream of tartar.
• Transfer the bowl to a standmixer fitted with whisk attachment (or use a handheld mixer) and beat on medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form and meringue is mostly cooled, about 7 minutes.
• For white meringues, skip the coloring step. For stripped colored meringues, using a small paintbrush, paint 3 vertical stripes of food coloring inside a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch round tip like Ateco #805 (for round kisses) or 1/2-inch French star tip like Ateco #867 (for rosette kisses). Fill bag with meringue, and pipe 1-inch kiss shaped drops, 2 inches apart on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. As you finish piping each shape, apply less pressure to pastry bag, and pull the tip off in a quick motion.
• Bake for 2 to 3 hours, until the meringues are firm to the touch but still have a soft center, and lift off the parchment paper easily. If you prefer them crisp all the way through, then go with 3 hours. The best way to know if they've reached your preferred texture is to taste one! For better judgment, let the sample cool completely (about 5 minutes), before tasting it. The meringues shouldn't change color or brown as they bake.
• Allow the meringue to cool completely on the baking sheets then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.
• Using a food processor or blender, purée the strawberries until completely smooth.
• Pour the strawberry purée through a fine mesh sieve set over a medium saucepan. Press against the strainer with rubber spatula or back of a spoon to help as much juice and pulp to pass through the strainer. You should end up with 1 1/2 cups. Discard seeds. Stir in sugar and lemon juice.
• Bring pulp and juices to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula, for 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to skim foam from the sides and surface of saucepan.
• Continue to cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom with a rubber spatula to prevent scorching and burning, until mixture has thickened and reduced by half (3/4 cup; 225 grams); about 8 to 10 more minutes.
• Transfer to a glass jar or container and refrigerate uncovered until no longer hot. Cover tightly and store in the fridge for up to 1 week.
• In a very small saucepan, combine the powdered sugar and cornstarch. Gradually stir in 1/4 cup of the cream.
• Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly until just thickened but pourable. Do not let it get too thick.
• Scrape the mixture to a small bowl and set aside to cool to just room temperature. Stir in vanilla.
• In a chilled mixing bowl, beat the remaining 3/4 cup cream just until traces of the beater marks start to appear. Add the cooled cornstarch mixture in a steady stream, whipping as you go. Continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Be careful not to over mix so the cream doesn't curdle. Keep chilled in the fridge until ready to use.
• Remove the plastic wrap and paper towels off of the the springform pan. To unmold cheesecake, remove sides of pan. Slide a thin metal spatula between the crust and the pan bottom to loosen, then slide cheesecake onto serving plate. Serve plain, allowing it to stand for 30 minutes before serving, or follow the instructions below for Eton Mess inspired cheesecake. Alternatively, plain cheesecake can be served with the fresh strawberries and sauce on the side.
• Spread and swirl the whipped cream over the surface of the cheesecake.
• Transfer the hulled and halved strawberries to a bowl and stir in the strawberry sauce to coat. Place the sauce-coated strawberries over the whipped cream, squeezing in some meringue kisses between them. Top with more meringues (you might not need to use them all up) and the whole strawberries. Add accents of crushed meringues, raspberries and mint leaves if desired.