Contributing Author, Sunita Bhuyan
Our contributor Sunita lives in the U.K. and has never been to New York City, but that doesn’t mean she can’t have a New York experience in her own home. One of these days we’ll get her on a cruise to New York, but for now read on to discover her recipe for New York cheesecake.
The other day, my son came over and asked me to guess what the hidden letters on his T shirt were. There was a huge dinosaur on it rampaging through a place, a “____ square”. Of course, he gave me some clues – “See those yellow cabs? Which place do they remind you of?”
Yes, it was Times Square, New York!
None of us have ever been to New York. But it does not matter. In today’s world of information explosion, one can know a whole lot of details about another place without ever being there.
This is also true in the case of food. So, just because I have never been to New York, it does not mean that I cannot enjoy its delicacies. A little bit of research is all that is needed.
As there are quite a few cheesecake fans in our family, I am going to settle for the New York cheesecake. And, since the idea for this article came, in a way, from my son, it was only fair that I made it for his birthday. Here’s how I did it:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup finely crushed digestive biscuits
- 4 tbsp of melted butter
- 300 grams of soft cheese
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup + 3 tbsp of caster sugar
- ¾ cup of sour cream
- 1 tbsp + ½ tsp vanilla extract
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mix the biscuit crumbs thoroughly with the melted butter and press firmly at the bottom of a 7-inch round pan.
- With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and 1 cup of caster sugar until just smooth.
- Add the eggs and 1 tbsp of vanilla extract and mix again till everything is combined. Do not overbeat.
- Pour the mixture over the crust and bake in the preheated oven for 25-27 minutes.
- Bring the pan out of the oven. Mix the sour cream, 3 tbsp of caster sugar and ½ tsp of vanilla extract and pour it over the top.
- Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 7-9 minutes, or till it is slightly wobbly in the center.
- Cool completely and chill overnight.
- Cut into wedges and enjoy!
What about you? Have you ever been to New York? Is there anything that tingles your tastebuds while you are there?
Sunita Bhuyan is the author of the popular blog, Sunita’s world- life and food, where she records snippets of life as it happens as well as her experiments with food. Sunita also does freelancing and has had her articles published in The Guardian newspaper and several other places on the web.