Introduction to Pastry and Baking Class Six: Cheesecakes

Cammi and I made two types of cheesecake: one had cream cheese and lemon juice;  the other was 50/50 sour cream and cream cheese. Hands-down, the favorite was the 50/50 cheesecake made with sour cream -- it was shinier, didn't crack on top, which is often a problem with cheesecake, and had the familiar New York Cheesecake "aka Jewish Cheesecake" look, mouth feel and taste that grandmothers dream about.

A small sliver of cheesecake is all you need -- I savor each bite.

Both had a browned disc of pastry crust -- pate sucre -- at the bottom and were cooked in a water bath in the oven for over an hour. Actually a custard, the in-oven water bath keeps the cheesecakes from cooking too quickly and allows the filling to transform from a creamy egg-rich and cheese-rich liquid to a wiggly gelatinous custard with a light tan top that firms up nicely overnight in the fridge.

Fresh strawberries and a simple glaze made from strawberry jelly top a rich New York Style cheesecake

Topped with a glaze made with strawberry jelly and the freshest looking strawberries I could find.