The Perfect NY Cheesecake

What do you need:

• 15 graham crackers, crushed
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
•  
• 4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup milk
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

What to do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch springform pan.
2. In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press onto bottom of springform pan.
3. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crust.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 to 6 hours; this prevents cracking. Chill in refrigerator until serving

 

 

 

Baking cheesecake is kinda hard. It can crack really easily! Heres some detailed steps I follow when I made cheesecake! Source

1. Preheat your oven to the temperature recommended in your cheesecake recipe. To prevent water from seeping into the removable bottom of the springform pan, wrap aluminum foil completely around the bottom and halfway up the sides of the pan. Place the cheesecake into a jellyroll pan (or any baking pan with sides) and place the pans into the oven. Use a teakettle to fill the outer pan with hot water. Cheesecakes usually bake for about 1½ hours, so check the bath after the first hour and refill if necessary.

2. Because cheesecake is very soft, it can be difficult to judge when it's done baking. One way to check for doneness is to take the cake's internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer. The ideal temperature for a cheesecake is around 160 to 165 degrees F (70 to 72 degrees C). You can also insert a small knife into the center of the cake, and if it comes out clean, the cake is done. Some bakers turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in it for an additional hour to ensure it's completely set.

3. Once the cheesecake has been removed from the oven, it needs to chill thoroughly--preferably overnight. The cake will have pulled away from the edges of the pan. Carefully run a small knife around the edge of the pan to loosen any bits that might stick to the pan.

4. Unclip the clasp at the side of the pan, watching for any areas that stick. Carefully lift the outer ring over the top of the cake. If you used a plain cake pan and don't want to serve dessert in the pan, invert a plate covered with a sheet of waxed paper over the pan. Tip the cake pan over the plate, and remove the pan. Invert a serving plate over the bottom of the cheesecake, and flip it over. Remove the top plate and paper, trying not to peel off the "skin" on the surface of the cheesecake. Any imperfections can be covered by chocolate ganache, a fruit sauce, or a layer of lightly sweetened sour cream.

5. For a seamless look, you can smooth the sides of the cheesecake with a hot, wet knife. Any toppings or garnishes can be added at this point.
 

What a pleasure!

Homemade strawberry lemonade! Refreshing on hot days, needless to say. 

What you need:

3/4 cup sugar
2 large lemons, microwaved for 30 seconds
2 cups water
1 cup of frozen strawberries, microwaved for 1 minute (you could use fresh, but I think the frozen works better here)

What to do:

In a blender squeeze the lemons and add the rest of the lemon, rind and all.  Pour in the water and sugar.  Add the strawberries.  Pulse until everything starts to come together and the rind is starting to be processed.  Remove the blade (or place the entire contents of the blender into a microwavable pitcher) and microwave for another 2 minutes.  You can do all of this on stove top if you’d prefer, but the microwave is easy and quick.  Refrigerate for about 1 hour, then strain into glasses loaded with ice.  Enjoy!

Baked Alaska

This stuff is so fuggin delicious. Its easy to make, but tastes and looks dramatic.

So you want it flambéed? While they are cooking in the oven, put some rum, brandy or your favorite flavored high alcohol content beverage into a sauce pan and set it warming on a burner on medium. The goal is to warm the alcohol so it is very volatile but not to boil off the flammable alcohol. After you pull the browned deserts out of the oven, put them on china plates, I don’t use plastic for flammability reasons. Turn down the illumination and light the pan of alcohol. Pour the flaming alcohol over each person’s Baked Alaska. This is very dramatic and a real party delight. Brownie points if you don’t light the house on fire or injure any of your guests.

Ingredients

• 2 quarts vanilla ice cream, softened (you can use just about any kind of icecream!)
• 1 package white cake mix, or if you want to make it from scratch, feel free. You can even use brownies!
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 8 egg whites
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup white sugar

Directions

1. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round mixing bowl or deep 8-inch square container with foil. Spread ice cream in container, packing firmly. Cover and freeze 8 hours or until firm.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour an 8x8 inch pan.
3. Prepare cake mix with egg and almond extract. Pour into prepared pan.
4. Bake in preheated oven according to package instructions, until center of cake springs back when lightly touched.
5. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar, salt and sugar until stiff peaks form.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment or heavy brown paper. Place cake in center. Turn molded ice cream out onto cake. Quickly and prettily spread meringue over cake and ice cream, all the way to paper to seal. Return to freezer 2 hours.
7. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
8. Bake the Alaska on the lowest shelf, 8 to 10 minutes, or until meringue is lightly browned. Serve at once.