NY Times Vanilla Cheesecake

Way back when I was a baby baker, this was the first from-scratch cake recipe I ever made. The recipe was given to me by a high school classmate who said her father got it from the New York Times.  I can't authenticate that claim, and I've tweaked the recipe a bit over time, but I can tell you this cheesecake always turns out beautifully and has been requested by friends and family countless times throughout the years.

There are two specific things that make this cheesecake special in my mind.  The first, this cheesecake is NOT baked in a water bath (hooray!).  The second (and most important in my humble opinion), during the last 5 minutes of baking, a creamy, vanilla-infused top layer is smoothed onto the cheesecake, serving not only as an amazing flavor accent, but it also camouflages any surface imperfections that unadorned cheesecakes sometimes develop. As a matter of fact, we like the creamy topping so much, I often increase just the topping amounts by 50% (so that would be 1.5x the amounts given in the recipe below).

New York Times Vanilla Cheesecake

makes one 10-inch cheesecake

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 12 rectangular crackers)

• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:

• 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 3 eggs

• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Topping:

• 16-ounces sour cream

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste (or pure vanilla extract)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Place a 10-springform pan on a rimmed half sheet pan.

3. Combine cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter together and press into the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan; set aside.

4. In a medium bowl, make the topping by whisking the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla together; set aside.

5. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a flat beater or BeaterBlade, slowly cream together sugar, vanilla, and cream cheese, being careful to incorporate as little air as possible.

6. Add eggs, one at a time, and continue beating until fully incorporated.

7. Pour mixture into springform pan and smooth; bake for 45-55 minutes (the center should still jiggle a bit, but shouldn't be liquid - interior temp should reach 150F).

8. Remove cheesecake from oven and smooth the topping into an even layer; return to oven for 5 minutes.

9. Remove from oven and cool on a cooling rack for at least an hour before chilling for at least 4 hours (overnight is ideal).

10. Before serving, carefully run a thin knife or spatula between the cheesecake and springform pan walls.

11. Unclamp springform pan to unmold.

12. Slice with a hot knife.

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Homemade Gnocchi Tutorial

One of my daughters recently discovered a love of gnocchi so I thought it would be a great opportunity to get her in the kitchen and teach her how to make them from scratch.  We had a really fun time and managed to capture a few photos along the way.  Enjoy!

I start with hot baked potatoes that are passed through a food mill or potato ricer (skins removed). The riced potatoes are allowed to cool and dry out a bit. Then eggs, salt, and flour are added until a dough forms.

The dough is kneaded a few times, then take a hunk of dough and roll it into a snake that’s 3/4-inch thick.

The dough is then cut into 1-inch wide bits. You can cook the pieces as is, but it’s more fun to do the following:

Using the back side of a fork, roll each dough bit over the fork tines, or you can use a wooden gnocchi board.

Stop rolling when you get to this point, then let the gnocchi fall to the counter. The finished gnocchi will have rides on one side and the other side will have a depression from your finger.

This is the back side. The gnocchi puff up a bit when they’re cooked so the depression won’t stay that big.

Place the gnocchi in a single layer on a floured sheet pan and repeat the process until you’ve used up all the dough. The gnocchi are now ready to be cooked.

To cook the gnocchi, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

The gnocchi cook for a short time, maybe 3 minutes - they’re done when they float to the top of the water.

You can see that they’ve puffed up a bit. Serve them with your favorite pasta sauce, pesto, or brown butter and sage sauce.

Item’s used to make this recipe:

(affiliate links)

• food mill https://amzn.to/2E5QdDv

• potato ricer https://amzn.to/2HhOQUm

• gnocchi board https://amzn.to/2Vy7PT5

• spider https://amzn.to/2Q2EvhS

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Homemade Gnocchi

Printable Recipe

serves 2 to 3 as a main dish, or 4 to 6 as an appetizer

Ingredients

• 2 pounds baked Russet potatoes, skins removed and potato flesh passed through a food mill or potato ricer

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1 teaspoon salt

• at least 4 ounces of all-purpose flour (more may be needed

Directions

1. Remove hot skins from freshly baked potatoes and pass through a or potato ricer; spread riced potatoes in a single layer on a sheet tray and allow to cool.

2. Bring 4 quarts of salted water to a boil.

3. Combine cooled potatoes, beaten egg, salt, and enough flour to form a dough that just holds together when you squeeze some in the palm of your hand.

4. Knead dough on a flowered surface for about a minute.

5. Cut off a enough dough to roll into a 10-12 inch long snake that is 3/4-inch thick.

6. Using a knife or pastry scraper, cut the snake into 1-inch wide bits.

7. Form each gnocchi by rolling the 1-inch bits over the tines of a fork or gnocchi board and place them on a flour dusted half sheet pan. The gnocchi can be cooked in boiling water right away.

8. Boil them for 1-3 minutes - the gnocchi are done cooking when they float to the surface of the water.

9. Remove from the water with a slotted spoon or wire spider.

Brown Butter and Sage Sauce

Printable Recipe

makes enough sauce for one whole batch of gnocchi above

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 4-8 fresh sage leaves, chopped fine

• 1 shallot, finely minced

• salt and pepper to taste

• a few grates of fresh nutmeg

Directions

1. In a small saucepan or frying pan, gently melt the butter and add shallots, nutmeg, and sage.

2. Heat until butter solids turn brown and smell nutty.

3. Remove from heat - add salt and pepper to taste.

4. Pour over cooked gnocchi.

recipe adapted from America’s Test Kitchen

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