Cheesecake (by Kilby)

Crust:

1 package graham crackers

1 stick butter, melted


Batter:

24 oz cream cheese (3 packages)

1/2 c sugar

3 eggs

optional flavoring

1/3 c flour
(all of the above at room temperature)


Method:

Place a pan of water on the lower rack to humidify the oven and prevent your cake from cracking. Then preheat to 275°.

Blend graham crackers and butter in a food processor until smooth; press into the bottom of a 9" springform pan. (For a twist, blend in a handful of nuts or chocolate chips; if you're making a lemon cheesecake, lemon zest is nice in the crust.)

Mix cream cheese and sugar until smooth; add eggs, one by one, while mixing until thoroughly blended. Then add flavoring--for plain cheesecakes, 1 tsp vanilla. Flour is optional, but will help firm the texture of the cake to keep the center from being gooey.

For a marble cake, separate half a cup of the batter and mix in melted chocolate. If you swirl pure melted chocolate into the cake, it is likely to crack, and when cooled, the chocolate will harden and make it difficult to slice. Swirl in fruit compote without any batter.

Pour batter over crust. Bake for an hour at 275°, then turn the oven down to 200° and bake for another hour, or until the center remains firm when the pan is bumped. Slide a knife around the edge after removing the cake from the oven; cool completely before serving. Refrigerate or freeze.


Suggestions:

Walnuts and raspberries make a lovely combination in cheesecake. Blend walnuts into the crust, without allowing them to become powder with the graham crackers. Add a teaspoon or two of vanilla extract to the batter. Combine one cup of raspberries with half a cup of sugar and let it sit until the berries set into a sauce; swirl that into the batter just before it goes into the oven. Garnish the finished cheesecake with fresh raspberries and walnut halves and pieces.

For a lemon cheesecake, use the juice of a lemon and increase the flour to half a cup. Grate some of the rind into the crust and into the batter, once it's in the pan, and garnish with a swirl of lemon rind and whipped cream.

Almond extract in a marble cheesecake is delightful, particularly with ground almonds added to the crust. Make it pretty with a mint sprig or two.

Make the cake extra rich by spreading a layer of sour cream, slightly sweetened with a teaspoon or two or powdered sugar, over the top of the cake about fifteen minutes before taking it out of the oven.

For a chocolate chocolate cheesecake, use the marble method, but add three tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa to the main batter. A sprinkling of chocolate chips before baking, and chocolate sauce on hand for a decoration, just reminds us all that, when it comes to chocolate, "the more the merrier"!