March 25, 2015 | Posted in:Recipes
Every family has that special dish that is the centerpiece to a family dinner or holiday celebration. For my husband’s family, it has always been Mom’s (New York) Cheesecake. I love cheesecake and had baked plenty in my time…but not the way my mother-in-law, from New York, made cheesecake. This crust is not overly sweet, there is no water bath used while baking, the pan isn’t typical and Mary would top it with sour cream. I wasn’t from New York, so what did I know of sour cream on a cheesecake? My first bite had me converted, the silky texture of the cream cheese filling is a pleasing contrast to the crisp, buttery crust.
I was given Mom’s recipe to bake and spread the joy of this delectable dessert. And then, Nabisco stopped making Zwieback Toasts, which completely messed up our lives. These crisp, not sweet, baby teething toasts were the key ingredient to Mom’s signature crust. You can try to substitute other teething rusks, make Zwieback from scratch or use graham cracker crumbs for a sweeter crust. After years of experimenting, I have finally hit on a suitable Zwieback substitution for our family that is not too sweet, not too plain, it’s just right.
My husband grew up topping a slice with canned cherry pie filling, which is perfection. I was recently on a strawberry bender, so I topped this latest cheesecake with homemade strawberry compote. Upon his first bite, my husband closed his eyes and sighed, declaring “You may have bested Mom this time.” I’m honored to declare a tie.
Mom’s (New York) Cheesecake
Crust
1 box Stella D’oro Almond Toasts, coarsely crushed with a rolling pin
1/4 Tsp salt
¾ stick unsalted butter, melted
Directions
In a bowl, mix ingredients until just blended and gently press in springform or angel food cake pan on bottom and 2 inches up the sides.
Filling
3 8-oz bars cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla (or vanilla bean paste)
Directions
Beat softened cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add eggs individually, beating mixture for 1-2 minutes, before adding the next egg. (This will result in an extra creamy cheesecake.) Spread mixture evenly on top of crust, tap pan on counter to level.
Bake at 350º for 40-45 minutes, or until cake just starts to brown. Cool completely in pan, then chill in the refrigerator 2-3 hours.
When you are ready to serve: Spread a 1/4″ layer of plain or vanilla nonfat Greek yogurt (or sour cream) over top of cheesecake, then top with topping of your choice.
Serve very cold.
Food is often the center of memorable family celebrations. Today, please join us in helping Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla celebrate her 15th wedding anniversary with waaaayy more than #fifteencheesecakes.
Cheesecake lover’s rejoice, here’s what everyone brought to the cheesecake table, listed in alphabetical order. I cannot wait to try some of these recipes. Enjoy!
Layered Cinnamon Streusel Cheesecake Cake by Famished Fish, Finicky Shark
Mini Churro Caramel Cheesecake by Cheese Curd In Paradise
Mom’s New York Cheesecake by Taste Cook Sip
Mudslide Cheesecake by Sew You Think You Can Cook
Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars by The Savvy Kitchen
Sopapilla Puff Pastry Cheesecake by Pink Cake Plate
Lisa Wilk
Hello, I'm Lisa Wilk! I'm a freelance food, wine and travel writer, photographer and presenter based out of Orlando, FL. While covering local restaurants and food events in the #1 tourist destination in the US, I find endless cooking inspiration when dining out. You'll often find me in the kitchen putting my own spin on those elevated chef creations to enjoy at home and when entertaining. I have a love and enthusiasm for wine, wine education and wine pairing. Find me about town teaching and demystifying wine as part of the popular @TheTastyTrio in the popular Wine, Cheese and Chocolate Perfectly Paired program series I've co-developed. Taste, Cook and Sip along with me on Twitter and Instagram at @TasteCookSip and @WineChix! Cheers!
17 Comments
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avril
March 26, 2015
Such a lovely cheesecake! Wonderful, wonderful job!! And congrats on “besting” your MIL! 🙂
Erin @ Making Memories
March 25, 2015
You can’t beat the classics! Your cheesecake looks wonderful.
Katie @ Recipe for Perfection
March 25, 2015
Oh, I love a good cheesecake. And I totally sympathize with how they stopped making your zwieback. I can’t get hold of “Wheatsworth” crackers for our family’s squash casserole, so I’m always trying to find a good substitute.
Your cheesecake looks wonderful!
Valerie
March 25, 2015
I rarely eat sweets but I LOVE Cheesecake! I also love heirloom recipes, will have to try this!
Laura @MotherWouldKnow
March 25, 2015
When I was in college, I made a version of this cheesecake, but used graham crackers for the crust, not Stella D’Oro cookies. What a great idea! Plus, so retro. Love it.
Wendy, A Day in the Life on the Farm
March 25, 2015
I will bet it was that hint of almond in the crust that gave you just a bit of an edge over your mil’s cheesecake. Sounds absolutely delicious.
Nicole
March 25, 2015
I love the quirkiness of this! a-typical pan, teething crackers for the crust, sour cream topping. It seems like a great traditional family recipe.
Amy | Amy's Cooking Adventures
March 25, 2015
That looks amazingly delicious! I’ve never had sour cream as a topping, either!
ashley@cheesecurdinparadise
March 25, 2015
What a beautiful cheesecake! Love the height that you got!
Lisa Wilk
March 25, 2015
Thanks Ashley, love that a stand mixer does all the work for me!