Cheesecake, schmeesecake

         Many people are afraid to make cheesecake thinking that it's too complicated or too easy to mess up.  But there is no need to be afraid of this treat.  Most people cook cheesecake too long my advice to you is-- don't be afraid of the jiggle.  The jiggle is actually what tells you it's done. When a cheesecake is cooked correctly it will fluff up slightly and when tapped it will have a slight jiggle to it, in the same manner that a quiche will, because it is the same basic principle you are looking for the egg to set in order to hold the cheesecake together once it cools.

Raspberry White Chocolate

      A very basic cheesecake has only a few ingredients.  There is the crust which is some kind of cookie ground up, mixed with butter and sugar and then packed into the bottom of a pan.  You should use about 1 1/2 cup of cookie crumbs to 1/4 cup melted butter and 1/4 cup sugar.  This should yield enough crust for a 9 inch pan. If you are feeling a little frisky maybe just press some chocolate chip cookie dough into the bottom of the pan and let it bake up with the cheesecake itself. For the actually cheese part I  tend to use 1 egg per 8 oz of cream cheese (or other filling) so for example 2 lbs of cream cheese (4 packs) would get 4 eggs.  And then for each 8 oz of cream cheese 2 TBS sugar so 1/2 cup sugar for 2 lbs cream cheese.

Lemon Thyme Blueberry

      Now for a new york cheesecake they add sour cream to it, but just a touch, so add about 1/4 cup to your 2 lbs of cream cheese (the same amount of egg should be fine).  Or you can add many other flavorings.  I love pumpkin cheese cake (and will do a post with a full recipe in the fall) but  you can substitute out 8 oz of cream cheese for 8 oz of pumpkin and use 5 eggs, just because the pumpkin is a little wetter than cream cheese.  You can fold in lemon, lime or orange zest to your batter, chocolate, fruit flavors or maybe some herbs.  Maybe add some liquor like Cassis, Grand Marnier, Rum or Kaluah.  Then you can always top your cheesecake with fruit preserves, chocolate, caramel or maybe some nuts.  These, as I said, are all general variations one can make in a traditional cheesecake.  They are in fact simple additions and if you are creative you can have, in the end a very unique delight.  (I made a blueberry lemon thyme cheesecake at work the other day, sweet, savory and got great reviews by all!) 
      So for the cheesecake recipe I decided to make I'm once again going to reach into the vault of my childhood memories, and try to create something that I loved as a kid.  This one makes me kind of a dork, but still, when we were kids my dad would get the turtle cheesecakes from Sam's.  I loved those things.  But I don't have a Sam's membership and honestly don't know if they even sell this partitular item anymore.  So better to make it! Mine came out a little thinner than I usually like, so the pictures are going to be a little different than yours will come out.
      First I used oreos to make the crust.  Like I said
1 1/2 cup oreo crumbs
1/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup brown sugar
Mix them together then pack them into a 9in spring-form pan.  I like using the bottom of a nice wide flat glass to pack the crust down.  It makes it really even and keeps you from getting it all over your hands.  Just be sure to spray the bottom of the glass with a little pan spray so the crust doesn't stick to it.
Next you'll need:
2 lbs (4 packs) cream cheese softened, feel free to use 1/3 fat or fat free
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
in mixer combine cream cheese and sugar.  Beat until smooth.  Add eggs in one at a time, scraping the sides once or twice to be sure it is fully incorporated.  Scrape into your pan but don't worry about spreading it out evenly yet.  You are going to swirl some caramel into it for a little added flavor.  So in the microwave on half heat melt
10 caramel bite squares (don't eat the rest yet, you are going to need some more for after the cheesecake is done baking)

      Drizzle the melted caramel over your batter in the pan then swirl it in being careful not to break up the bottom of the crust.  I  generally swirl as I am spreading it to the edges and then take a knife and cut back and forth through the swirl for extra texture.  Once you've done this it's ready to go in the oven.  325 degrees for 35-40 min, until you get that jiggle I was talking about at the beginning.  Now pull it out and sprinkle with
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
and put it back in the oven for 3-5 min, just to get the walnuts a little toasty.  Pull it out and let it cool for 15 min or so and then sprinkle with
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
then melt 10 more caramel bite squares
and drizzle over the top so that it looks pretty.  Chill for at least 4 hours before serving.
                     Hope you have been inspired.  
                        Now to go enjoy my slice!