Don' Want No Steenkin' Strawberries

by Barbara D'Amato



With seven ingredients and very little time, you can amaze and delight your friends and family.

My granddaughter Emily makes cheesecake and passes the recipe on to just about everybody who tries it.


EMILY’S NEW YORK STYLE CHEESECAKE

Crumb crust:

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs [Take a package of graham crackers, put them in a plastic bag and smash them with a rolling pin. This is therapeutic.]
6 Tb melted butter, cooled somewhat
¼ cup sugar, preferably brown sugar
mix

Press the crust mixture into a springform mold or cake pan or pretty much any pie plate. It can go up the sides a bit. Bake 10 t0 15 minutes at 350 degrees, just to set and sort of caramelize, but not brown too much. Cool

Filling:

Beat 1 1/2 pounds of cream cheese.
Beat in
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs

Pour into cooled crust. Place on cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees about 45 to 55 minutes, until most of the filling is set and the middle just jiggles slightly.


This is traditional New York style cheesecake, dense and rich. But I suppose it would be appropriate for The Chicago Outfit mob as well. Emily doesn’t want strawberries or blueberries or any other icky fruit in gelled crud on top of her cheesecake, but thinks fruit on the side is fine. She’s been making this since she was six.