I am very fussy about my cheesecakes. They have to be baked! They have to be light!
They have to be creamy! They have to be goooood!
The one cheesecake recipe that I would give almost anything for would be "Rowinski's". They were located in Cambridge, MA in the late 70's and early 80"s. I was pregnant with my daughter, Petra, when my husband brought me home the first of many, many, many pineapple cheesecakes, single serving no less, from Rowinski's.
I, on the other hand, have what is very close to that long coveted recipe and I am going to give it to you tonight. This is the one I made for my youngest daughter, Sara, for her birthday that we celebrated on Thursday.
DIRECTIONS:
Grease, or spray with Pam, a 10 inch springform pan. Place the springform pan on a larger baking pan to catch any leakage while the cheesecake is baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) with rack in center of oven.
For Crust:
In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and about 1 inch (2.5 cm) up the sides of the springform pan. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.
For Filling:
In bowl of your electric mixer place the cream cheese, sugar, and flour. Beat on medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes), scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (about 30 seconds) after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the whipping cream, lemon zest, vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. Remove the crust from the refrigerator and pour in the filling. Place the cheesecake pan on a larger baking pan and place in the oven.
Bake for 15 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) and continue to bake for about another 1 1/2 hours or until firm and only the center of the cheesecake looks a little wet and wobbly. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Spread the topping over the warm cheesecake and return to oven to bake for 15 more minutes. Remove from oven and carefully run a knife or spatula around the inside edge of pan to loosen the cheesecake (helps prevent the surface from cracking as it cools).
Let cool before covering with plastic wrap and refrigerating. This cheesecake tastes best after being refrigerated for at least a day.
Serve with fresh fruit or fruit sauces.
Makes one - 10 inch cheesecake
New York Jewish style cheesecake
Crust:
2 cups (200 grams) of graham wafer crumbs or finely crushed vanilla wafers or gingersnaps (process whole cookies in a food processor until they are crumbs)
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated white sugar
1/2 cup (114 grams) unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
32 ounces (1 kg) (4 - 8 ounces packages) cream cheese, room temperature (use full fat, not reduced or fat free cream cheese)
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
3 tablespoons (35 grams) all purpose flour
5 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Topping:
1 cup (240 ml) sour cream (not low fat or fat free)
2 tablespoons (30 grams) granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Tips: Sometimes the surface of the cheesecake cracks. To help prevent this from happening do not overbeat the batter, especially when creaming the cheese and sugar.
Another reason for cracking is overbaking the cheesecake. Your cheesecake is done when it is firm but the middle may still look a little wet.
Also, make sure the springform pan is well greased as cracking can occur if the cheesecake sticks to the sides as it cools.
Thanks for sharing your coveted recipe! How delicious!
ReplyDeleteThat recipe sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteThis looks good! I am going to my son's next week and decided to make him his favorite that I have not made since he was six-ten years old, do you have a good recipe for Coconut Cream Pie, no egg white topping though, my mother made that, and we like whip cream, I can handle that just fine. email: elizabeth@cookappeal.com
ReplyDeleteHi Rose, after putting the springform pan(cheesecake pan) in the larger pan, are we supposed to add water in the large pan?
ReplyDeleteI added your blog as 'All About Cakes' in my blog list. Thanks so much! :o)
Babette, the larger pan is for spills. If you want to put a baking pan of water in the oven on the lowest level that is ok. Not in the pan with the cheesecake. The spingform pan is not leak proof and it will absorb the water into the mixture. DCRose
ReplyDeleteThanks Rose, I plan to make this for the holidays. :o)
ReplyDeleteThe name was spelled "Rowinsky." And as I recall, David told me that the only ingredients were cream cheese, egg, water, sugar, (possibly vanilla?), and various flavorings (e.g.chocolate, banana, etc). Certainly no flour, sour cream, whipped cream etc. That's what made his cheesecake so creamy and smooth. I opened and ran the shop at 99 Mt Auburn St.
ReplyDeleteThe name is indeed Rowinsky I am his son, and I still to this day make the cakes to the original recipe. I cannot disclose the exact recipe out of respect for my fathers wishes before he passed away
ReplyDelete