Gourmet Cheesecake

To tell you the truth, cheesecake isn't something I order except on very rare occasions. Nor do I make it very often. Usually it's just too rich for me. Especially if I've eaten a big dinner. My daughter, Sara, makes a really good cheesecake, and I enjoy it every time she makes it. She's quite legendary in her family for her cheesecake. Her husband and his family often request it for family gatherings.

Here's the batter, thick and silky smooth (the cream cheese, sour cream, etc.)

But, THIS cheesecake I'm sharing with you today, is something altogether different. I must say that this has all the trappings of regular cheesecake. So how come it's different? Well, you whip up the six egg whites until stiff and fold them into the cheesecake filling. It lightens up the texture considerably. I like this lighter, almost a souffle-like, style. You slice your fork into a bite and it meets little resistance and melts in your mouth. There's a hint of lemon in it. Maybe next time I ought to add a bit of lemon zest to the filling too. I've never seen another cheesecake recipe that uses whipped egg whites. I've searched on the internet to try to find the origin of this recipe, but have found nothing. Fine print: whatever you do, don't go reading the nutrition content of this recipe, or you'll never make this cheesecake. You'll get depressed even thinking about it.

Springform pans: I own two. An 8 1/2 inch and a 10 inch. This recipe calls for a 9 inch. What to do? This time I used the smaller one and had enough to make another entire small bowl of cheesecake. Next time I guess I should use the 10 inch form. Definitely I'd need to make more crumbs, however. I already do that as it is, using about 3 cups of graham cracker crumbs in the mixture. And more butter. No additional sugar.

This cheesecake is baked for an hour, then left in the oven for an additional hour (heat turned off) to firm up. Then you remove it to cool further. Having made this several times, I will tell you that it's absolutely the best, cut and served when it's still warm. Not hot. Just warm. If you have the time to plan it, serve it that way. You can also make it several hours ahead, then put it back in a low oven for about 15 minutes. You don't want to dry it out, whatever you do.

We invited our Southern California children and the grandchildren to come for dinner last night. To open our gifts and celebrate Christmas with them. I served a ricotta lasagna with marinara sauce, a big green salad with my favorite salad dressing, the VIP dressing, and this cheesecake for dessert.

Folding the egg whites in is a bit of a chore, but lightens up the batter a lot.

It's poured in the graham cracker crumb crust and topped with toasted almonds. I over toasted the almonds (sheepish grin).

Gourmet Cheesecake
Recipe: came from a friend I met in Oklahoma, about 1974.
Serving Size : 12
1/4 cup blanched almonds -- toasted
CRUMB MIXTURE:
2 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons butter
FILLING:
6 whole eggs -- separated
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese -- softened
1 1/2 cups sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
8 tablespoons flour -- sifted
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice -- fresh
3/4 cup sugar
1. Preheat oven to 325°. Toast almonds first and set aside.
2. Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar together and press into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch spring form pan, reserving about 3 T for top of cheesecake. Set aside.
3. Mix egg yolks, 3/4 cup sugar, cream cheese, flour, sour cream and lemon juice and beat until smooth.
4. Beat egg whites until frothy, then add 3/4 cup sugar gradually and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Fold into cheese mixture. Pour into reserved graham cracker shell, spread top to flatten and sprinkle with reserved graham cracker mixture and almonds.
5. Bake for 1 hour, then turn off heat and leave cheesecake in the oven for another hour. Remove to cool. Best when served barely warm from the oven.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 577 Calories; 37g Fat (57.6% calories from fat); 11g Protein; 51g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 197mg Cholesterol; 383mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 1 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 7 Fat; 2 Other Carbohydrates.
To print a PDF recipe, click title at top.