PERFECT HOLIDAY CHEESECAKE RECIPES

INGREDIENTS FOR THE NEW YORK CHEESECAKE RECIPE

For the cheesecake base
5 oz finely ground Graham crackers
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the cheesecake

5 x 8 ounces of cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
Finely grated zest of 1 large orange
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
5 large organic eggs
2 large organic egg yolks
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 550°F.

COOKING METHOD FOR THE NEW YORK CHEESECAKE RECIPE

To make the New York cheesecake base
Mix the ingredients together and press down in spring form pan and then chill for at least two hours.

To make the cheesecake
Beat together cream cheese, sugar, flour, and zests gently, add eggs and yolks, one at a time. Do not add anything more until the one egg has been slowly and thoroughly incorporated. Scrape down well between additions, when really smooth add the vanilla essence.

Put spring form pan with crust in a shallow dish and add boiling water to act as a bain Marie, which helps to stop the cheesecake from cracking.

Pour filling into crust and bake in the bain Marie in the middle of oven 12 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 200°F and continue baking until cake is mostly firm but still wet and wobbly. Depending on your oven it should take about an hour. Cool in the oven and then overnight in the refrigerator this cheesecake is better the next day. Bring to room temperature before serving and garnish with fresh fruit or serve as it is.

INGREDIENTS FOR CHEESECAKE FACTORY CHEESECAKE

Nut Crust
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup finely chopped almonds
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
3/4 cup finely chopped vanilla wafer
2 1/2 tablespoons melted butter

Filling
1 1/2 lbs cream cheese
1 1/3 cups sugar
5 large free range eggs
16 ounces sour cream
1/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon juice

COOKING METHOD FOR THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY CHEESECAKE

To make the Crust
Mix all the nuts and vanilla wafer crumbs with melted butter and press into a 9 inch buttered springform pan, trying to line the sides as much as possible about 1 1/2" up the sides of the pan, set aside.

Cheesecake: All above ingredients should be at room temperature before your begin.

Beat the cream cheese until light, smooth and fluffy on a low setting in the mixture. Add the sugar a little at a time and continue beating until creamy. Add one egg at a time and beat well after each egg.
When eggs have been mixed into the cream cheese add flour, vanilla and lemon juice, mix well.Add the sour cream last and beat well.Pour cream cheese into the spring pan.Place on the top rack in the middle of a 325 degrees preheated oven for one hour and 15 minutes.

When time is up, prop open oven door and leave in oven for one hour.After one hour, remove from oven.Let cool enough before the cheesecake is put into the refrigerator for 24 hours.

INGREDIENTS FOR TEN MINUTE STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE RECIPE

6 digestive biscuits, crushed
30g/1oz butter, melted
85g/3oz strawberries, halved
3 tablespoons Mascarpone cheese
1 teaspoon caster sugar
The seeds of one vanilla pod
100ml/3½fl oz double cream, whipped

COOKING METHOD FOR THE TEN MINUTE STRAWBERRY CHEESECAKE RECIPE

Add the crushed digestives and melted butter to a bowl and mix together.
In a separate bowl, mix together the strawberries, mascarpone, sugar, vanilla and cream. Press the digestive mix into the base of a 5 inch chefs' ring. Cut some strawberries in half enough to line the ring with the strawberries facing the outside. Roughly chop the rest. Add the cheese and strawberry mixture to the chefs' ring and level off.Gently ease the cheesecake out of the ring.

This is beautiful if topped with cherries and a good quality melted dark chocolate drizzled over.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE ALMOND CHEESECAKE WITH A NUT CRUST RECIPE

Almond Nut Crust
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups finely chopped almonds
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, softened

Almond Cheesecake Filling
1 pound cream cheese, softened to room temp.
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large organic eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/3 cup chopped nibbed almonds
3 cups sour cream
Preheat oven to 400ºF

COOKING METHOD FOR ALMOND CHEESECAKE RECIPE

To make the crust
Place all ingredients in mixing bowl and blend thoroughly. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom and partially up the sides of a greased springform pan. Bake for about seven minutes or until the crust is a light golden brown. Cool before filling.
To make the almond cheesecake
Heat oven to 375ºF, Beat together cream cheese and sugar gently and slowly, add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla and almond extracts, almonds and sour cream. Mix until well blended. Pour the mixture into prepared crust and bake for 1 hour, or until set. Turn off oven, open the oven door slightly and cool to room temp. Chill.

This is beautiful if topped with cherries and a good quality melted dark chocolate drizzled over.

INGREDIENTS FOR ITALIAN RICOTTA CHEESECAKE RECIPE

4 ounces (130g) golden raisins
2 fl ounces of Grand Marnier
2lbs (1kg) ricotta cheese
6 large organic eggs, at room temperature
6 ounces(200g)sugar
1 1/2 ounce (45g) flour
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Zest of 1 un-waxed lemon
Zest of 1 un-waxed orange
4 ounces(100g) pine nuts, lightly toasted

Grease and flour one 9-inch spring form pan. Set aside.

COOKING METHOD FOR THE ITALIAN RICOTTA CHEESECAKE RECIPE

Place the raisins in a small bowl with the Grand Marnier and allow to plump up and absorb the liqueur for at least an hour. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Beat the ricotta until fluffy, add the eggs, one at a time, beating slowly before adding more. Then add the sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and zest. Fold in the raisins and pine nuts.

Pour batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake until cheesecake is golden, and just firm about an hour and a quarter. Serve the cake warm, with Morello cherries.

INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE VANILLA CHEESECAKE

50g/2oz plain chocolate, broken into pieces
1 vanilla pod, split and seeds removed
100g/4oz digestive biscuits, crushed to a fine crumb
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground mixed spice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
150g/6oz mascarpone cheese
100ml/3½fl oz double cream, whipped
1 tablespoon icing sugar, sieved
1 tablespoon cocoa powder, sieved
extra icing sugar, for dusting

COOKING METHOD FOR THE CHOCOLATE AND VANILLA CHEESECAKE RECIPE

Place the chocolate in a medium bowl. Sit the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water and melt the chocolate.
In a small bowl mix together the biscuits, cinnamon, mixed spice and butter.Place a 7.5cm/3in cooking ring on two small serving plates.Divide the biscuit mixture between the two rings. Press down with the back of a spoon. Chill until required.
In a medium bowl gently mix together the mascarpone, cream, icing sugar and vanilla seeds.
Fill the rings with half the mascarpone mixture.
Add the cocoa powder and melted chocolate to the remaining mascarpone mixture.Top the rings with chocolate mascarpone mixture. Chill until ready to serve.

To serve, remove the metal ring using a hot cloth or blow torch and dust with icing sugar.

INGREDIENTS FOR SAVORY MEXICAN CHEESECAKE

1/3 cup Refried beans
1/4 cup Bread crumbs
14 ounces Cream cheese, room temperature
1 Egg
1 cup Herdez salsa casera, strained
2 Green onions,
1 teaspoon Cumin, ground
1/4 cup Sour cream
4 ounces Cheddar cheese

COOKING METHOD FOR THE SAVORY MEXICAN CHEESECAKE

Preheat oven at 300 degrees. Grease a 6 inch cake pan. Cover the outside bottom with foil.
Mix together the beans and the breadcrumbs. Press them in the bottom of the pan.
Beat the cream cheese until soft, and fold in hte beaten egg. Combine the salsa, onion, cumin and sour cream. Fold the salsa mixture and the cheddar cheese into the cream cheese. Transfer into cake pan.
Prepare a Bain Marie. Take a sheet pan at leas 2 inch deep, place the cake in the pan and place it in oven, fill the sheet pan with hot water.
Cover the cake loosely with foil. Bake for about 40 minutes, then uncover and cook for another 10 more minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Turn off oven and leave the door slightly open, let the cake sit inside for 10 more minutes. Let it cool to room temperature, refrigerate at least 2 hours. Serve with tortilla chips.

Herdez salsa casera, is a traditional Mexican blend of diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro and serrano peppers.

INGREDIENTS FOR JAMAICAN RUM AND RAISIN CHEESECAKE

Cheesecake crust
1 1/2 cups Graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or more to taste
Cheesecake
1 lb cream cheese at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons of freshly grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup golden or muscatel raisins,
1 cup West Indian dark rum
2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
200g melted dark chocolate
6 large organic eggs, separated
1 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lemon juice

COOKING METHOD FOR THE JAMAICAN RUM AND RAISIN CHEESECAKE

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees.

Graham-Cracker crust:
Combine the cracker crumbs and sugar in a bowl, and then add the butter and cinnamon. Stir with a fork until crumbs are moistened.

Gently heat the rum, in the microwave on low power, and add the raisins and let them marinate for twenty minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Pat the crumb mixture over the bottom and about one inch up the sides of a 9-inch spring form pan. Refrigerate while you prepare the batter.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until it is soft and fluffy. Add 3/4 cup of the sugar, the lemon zest, flour, rum and raisins, and vanilla and beat until well blended. Beat in the egg yolks, and then stir in the sour cream and lemon juice. Melt the dark chocolate and add to the cheesecake batter. Combine egg whites and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, and beat until the whites stand in soft peaks. Fold the beaten egg whites into the cream cheese mixture. Pour the batter into the prepare crust and bake 1 hour, or until the cake has puffed and trembles just slightly when shaken. Do not over bake. Remove from oven and cool on a rack to room temperature, then chill for several hours.

INGREDIENTS FOR MALTED MILK CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

* 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Cookie crust

* One 10-ounce package butter biscuits, wafers, or shortbread cookies
* 1/3 cup walnuts
* 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
* 4 ounces (8 tablespoons, 1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and coole

Cheesecake

14 ounces milk chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup malted milk powder
2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
4 extra large free range eggs, at room temperature
1 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 quart boiling water

1 packet of maltesers to garnish

COOKING METHOD FOR THE MALTED MILK CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE.

Centre a rack in the oven and preheat it to 300°F.

Grease the inside of 8 inch springform pan. Use a double layer of heavy-duty aluminium foil to wrap tightly around the bottom of the pan, to prevent water from seeping into the bottom.

Cookie crust
Combine the cookies, walnuts, and sugar in a food processor, and pulse until the cookies are finely ground, about 2 minutes. Transfer the cookie crumb mixture to a medium bowl and add the butter. Transfer the crust to the prepared springform pan and press down evenly and also part way up the sides. Chill

Cheesecake
Melt the chocolate in the microwave on half power. Warm the cream in a small pan and add the malted milk powder, whisk well to combine. Beat the cream cheese in a mixer until it is light and fluffy. Add the sugar and cream together until all the sugar is incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time beating until fully incorporated until adding the next.

Add the sour cream and vanilla to the cream cheese mixture and stir
together to combine. Add the cream to the batter and blend thoroughly, then add the melted milk chocolate and mix together.Transfer the batter into the crust in the spring form pan. Use a rubber spatula to smooth and even the top.

Place the spring form pan in the larger cake pan or roasting pan and set the pan on the oven rack. Carefully pour the boiling water into the bottom pan until it reaches halfway up the side of the springform pan.

Bake the cake for 1 hour and 45 minutes, until the top is set, but wobbles slightly. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the cheesecake to a rack.

Remove the foil and let the cheesecake cool completely. Cover the top of the cheesecake with waxed paper and wrap the pan tightly with aluminium foil. Refrigerate the cake for at least 6 hours before serving. Decorate with whipped cream, Malteser balls and whipped cream.

INGREDIENTS FOR THE GLAZED PLUM CHEESECAKE

COOKING METHOD FOR THE GLAZED PLUM CHEESECAKE

To Make the Crust
Preheat your oven to 350°. Take out a 9" Springform pan, and cut a circle of parchment paper to cover the bottom of it. Reassemble the pan and lay the parchment paper down inside.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a small bowl. Melt the butter over low heat (or microwave on low power). Add the butter to the dry ingredients and stir until the ingredients come together. Scoop the mixture into the pan and pat it into an even layer. Bake this in the oven for about 10 minutes, to give it a nice toasted almond flavour.

Make filling
Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth. Beat in sugar. Beat in eggs just until blended. Mix in sour cream, orange zest and vanilla.

Pour filling into crust-lined pan. Bake until sides of cheesecake puff slightly and centre is just set, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Turn oven off. Leave cake in oven with door slightly open for 30 minutes.

Transfer cake to rack. Run small knife between crust and pan. Cool cake completely in pan on rack, about 3 hours (cake may crack slightly as it cools). Cover and refrigerate cake overnight.

Make plums
Whisk orange juice, jelly, brown sugar and ginger in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until jelly dissolves. Add plums. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer gently until plums are just tender but still hold shape, about 3 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer plums to large plate and cool.

Boil cooking liquid until thickened to syrup consistency, about 7 minutes. (Plums and syrup can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate.)

Release pan sides from cheesecake. Arrange plums in concentric circles atop cheesecake, covering completely. Brush some syrup over plums. Cut cake into wedges. Serve with remaining syrup.

INGREDIENTS FOR CHERRY CHEESECAKE

For topping
3/4 cup dried tart cherries
1 1-pound bag frozen pitted Bing cherries, thawed, drained, juice reserved
1/2 cup cherry jam
2 tablespoons brandy
1 tablespoon cornstarch

For crust
1/3 cup whole almonds
2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

For filling
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

COOKING METHOD FOR THE TRIPLE CHERRY CHEESECAKE

Make topping:
Combine dried cherries and reserved juice from thawed cherries in medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Remove from heat. Cover; let steep 20 minutes.
Mix cherry jam, brandy and cornstarch in small bowl to blend. Stir into dried cherry mixture. Add thawed cherries. Stir over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens, about 1 minute. Cool slightly; chill until cold. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Keep refrigerated.)
Make crust:
Finely grind almonds in processor. Add cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Process until clumps form. Press mixture onto bottom (not sides) of 9-inch-diameter spring form pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Chill 30 minutes.
Make filling:
Position rack in centre of oven; preheat to 350°F. Blend all ingredients except sliced almonds in processor just until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl several times. Transfer filling to crust. Bake until edges of cheesecake are puffed and centre is just set, about 50 minutes. Remove from oven. Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Chill cake uncovered overnight.
Release pan sides from cake. Transfer cake to platter. Spoon topping evenly over cake, leaving 1/2-inch border around edge. Garnish cake with sliced almonds and chocolate shavings

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