New York-Style Cheesecake

New York-style cheesecake offers the kind of over-the-top extravagance you’d expect from its namesake city. Towering and impressive, this American cheesecake consists of a velvety filling that is both soft enough to slice like butter and firm enough to hold its shape. At its base, a tender, golden cookie (preferably graham cracker) crumb crust acts as crunchy relief to the creaminess. A tangy sour cream topping brings stark white elegance and a touch of tartness to the dessert. It’s an iconic formula that needs little tinkering or revision—and that’s because the New York-style cheesecake has come a long way. This decadent dessert is far removed from its humble ancient Greek forebear. The first “cheese cakes” were made in Greece more than 2,000 years ago—rustic cheese-and-honey cakes that were occasionally enjoyed by Olympic athletes in need of sweet energy. Cheesecake remains one of those historic recipes that continues to inspire culinary creativity, from the jiggly Japanese cotton cheesecake to the all cream cheese-filled Chicago-style cheesecake.

But for a signature New York-style cheesecake, the base must contain one of America’s classic inventions, cream cheese (see our From the Pantry on page 23 for more information), working in concert with sour cream and heavy cream. With cream cheese alone, the filling will split and have a mealy texture. Instead, heavy cream and sour cream are often added to the mix to help create a silkier filling, and eggs are tossed in to help bring it all together. Our recipe pays homage to this formula and comes complete with foolproof guides to keep your cheesecake from cracking under pressure (literally). With both our blueberry and strawberry renditions at your disposal, cheesecake will become your chosen dessert of spring.

THE TWISTING TALE OF NEW YORK-STYLE CHEESECAKE

In the musical , an incorrigible group of gamblers bet on is based on. Lindy’s was the place that made the dessert famous in the 1930s—but the recipe didn’t come from their recipe vault. According to cheesecake legend, Lindy’s had only started serving the dessert after hiring the head baker of Reuben’s, the first restaurant to serve New York-style cheesecake. The buck doesn’t stop with that restaurant’s owner, Arnold Reuben, either. He got the base recipe from an unnamed hostess after Reuben sampled the “cheese pie” at her party. It’s not easy to make sense of the weaving history, but luckily, the recipe is much more straightforward.