Last summer, I asked my husband what dessert I could learn to bake for him, so I could always make a little something special for him from time to time.  His request: cheesecake.  I asked a colleague of mine at my old company for a recipe, because his wife (I believe) was a pastry chef, so I figured she had to know a bit about making a great cheesecake! 

I have tried this recipe probably 5 times or so, and the first time was still the best. It always turns out delicious, the look can be a little questionable though ;) 

Here's the recipe... if you try it out, let me know how it goes! 

What You'll Need:

CAKE
- 6 Large Eggs
- 1.5 C Sugar
- 2 lbs. (4-8oz. packages) cream cheese, preferably Kraft's Philadelphia brand.
- 1/2 pint sour cream
- 1/2 pint heavy cream
- juice of one lemon
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- 2 heaping Tbsp. of Flour

CRUST
- 1.5 C Crushed Vanilla Wafers
- 6 Tbsp. Melted butter
-1/2 C Sugar

Kitchen Aid Mixer, or a mixing arm ripped like Popeye. ;)
Spring Form
Water Bath (optional - YouTube it.)

1. Preheat Oven to 300 degrees (F).
2. Add eggs, sugar, cream cheese, sour cream, heavy cream, lemon juice, vanilla and flour to mixer (highly recommend using a Kitchen Aid Mixer). Beat on low, to medium-low speed, until mixed completely and relatively smooth.  (IMPORTANT - don't over-mix (at high speed or for too long), otherwise the texture will get too fluffy and overflow the spring form. This has been my issue - I try to mix it until it is super smooth and the texture gets too fluffy).

While the cake mixture is beating, make the crust.
1. Mix all crust ingredients together in a small mixing bowl. Pour into a 9" Spring Form pan, pressing into place with your fingers or the back of a spoon. 
2. Chill in fridge for 15 minutes.

When crust is cool, and cake is mixed well, pour batter into the spring form pan over the back of a big spoon so as to not 'upset' the crust.  Let it rest for 5-10 minutes. 

Bake at 300 degrees (F), in a water bath for about 90 minutes (mine usually takes 2 hours!).

ENJOY! 

After five-and-a-half years with my current company, I've decided to hang up my hat here and hit the reset button. Finding a new job was a goal of mine in 2015, and I got really lucky that a truly wonderful opportunity fell into my lap early this year.

When I was in South America I was contacted by a recruiter from an agency that I had been inspired by in a previous role.. After a pretty rigorous interview process & some negotiations, I landed the job! I desperately needed a change and to purge the negativity of my current workplace from my life. Work became really unpleasant for awhile.

I'm so looking forward to this new chapter in my life. Working downtown will be a fun change, too... So many great restaurants to check out, and a vibrant new environment!