by Andrew Chalk
I am a cheesecakeaholic. I would give up Oxycontin any day rather than give up good cheesecake. Below is the recipe I use to make it, courtesy of the mother of a good friend of mine at college. She saved us from nutritional deficiency brought on by exposure to differential calculus and three feet of snow in March in St. Louis. So great was her contribution that Mother Teresa should have been right behind her in the Nobel Prize line. I make this recipe now, not as well as my college friend, but well enough to eat.
An astute PR rep. wrote to remind me that July 30th is National Cheesecake Day (how could I forget. I had it down as National Weedkiller and Donuts Day). Would I like to try some cheesecake made in Texas? I agreed without hesitation and so, came to arrive, three flavors from Good & Tasty Bakes (hereafter, G&T) of Moran, Texas (just north of the Cisco speed trap on I-20): Chocolate, Key Lime, and Classic.
Good & Tasty Bakes is rich in story. Local, mother and daughter founders, products made in small batches (maybe in Kansas, as that is where they ship from).The product features locally produced butter, 100% rBGH-free cream cheese, and no high fructose corn syrup, partially hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors, or refined sugar. They are also gluten-free, which I don't understand but I think is for people who are gluten incontinent. Either way, their numbers have tripled since 2009.
With the puritanical zeal of someone who chooses vanilla as their ice-cream flavor I decided to start with ‘classic’. I defrosted the cheesecake, plated a slice, hewed off a mouthful - intentionally not including any crust - steeled myself for creamy flavors and a bulky body as I put the helping in my mouth and waited…
It didn’t have those flavors or that heft at all. It was light, almost airy like a whip, with a thin cream texture and a hint of lemon. The crust, which I assume was mainly almonds, had distinct cinnamon notes and a different consistency than Graham crackers. The two, crust and paste, were more tasty together than separately.
Now the style of G&T cheesecake is common in restaurants. If it is to your taste then Good & Tasty Bakes is a good choice. It is more common than my style of cheesecake (epitomized by the recipe) as my style would be considered ‘bad for you’.
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HOWARD’S CHEESECAKE RECIPE
transcribed by Andrew Chalk
Start by priming chef with Glenfiddich
Take 1 9” square pan
1-1¼ cup graham cracker crumbs;
¼ cup sugar;
¼ cup butter;
cut together and press to bottom and sides.
1¼ lbs cream cheese;
½ pint sour cream;
3 large eggs;
2 tbs vanilla;
1 cup sugar
Make certain all ingredients are at room temperature;
Beat together all the above;
Pour into pan;
Bake in preheated 350⁰ oven for 40 minutes;
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