Larry Oliva’s Authentic New York Cheesecake

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

This recipe makes a large cheesecake. Generously butter either a 10″ spring-form pan or a 3″x10″ cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment, then butter the parchment. This will make it easier to remove after it is cooked. If using a spring-form pan, completely wrap the bottom and up to 1 1/2 ” of the outside of the pan with foil. Set pan inside a larger pan or pot with at least 1″ of clearance.

Blend the cream cheese and sour cream in a mixer. Add the sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, salt, and cornstarch. Mix well on medium speed. Add the melted butter and blend. Add the eggs one at a time, on medium speed, scraping down the sides of the bowl about half-way through. Pour the mixture into the buttered pan. Carefully add 1″ of boiling water into the outside pan (i.e. the pan that your springform is sitting in – to form a water bath).

Bake at 325 degrees F for about 1 hour or just until set. Check after the first 30 minutes. If it is getting too brown, spray a piece of foil with spray oil and tent it over the top of the cake and continue baking. At the one hour point, turn off the oven, remove foil tent, open the oven door slightly, and let cheesecake set for 30 minutes. Then remove it from the oven and refrigerate for several hours (or overnight is even better) before removing cake from pan.

To easily remove cheesecake from the pan, warm the bottom of the pan just slightly by either dipping it into warm water for a few seconds or, if you have an electric stove, put it on the coil on low for about 5-10 seconds. Cover the top of the cake with plastic wrap, (unclamp and remove the sides if using a spring-form pan) and flip it upside down onto a plate. Then place a 9″ cardboard cake round on the bottom and flip it right-side up. Slice and serve plain and naked, or with your favorite fresh fruit, lemon curd, chocolate sauce or a sauce made from warmed preserves.

My trick for cutting a cheesecake: Trim a wooden 3/4″ dowel to about 3 inches long. Drill a hole through the middle with the smallest drill bit you can find or hammer a nail through it and remove the nail. String about 2 feet of lightweight (30-pound test) fishing line through the middle and around the dowel and tie a knot. Place the cheesecake on a smaller pan so that it is elevated. Take the dowel in one hand, and wrap the excess line in the other hand. Position the fishing line over the center of the cheesecake and bring it straight down through the cheesecake. Then, pulling from the dowel side, draw the fishing line through and out. It should make a nice, sharp cut. Rotate the cheesecake 90 degrees, and make another cut perpendicular to your first cut. Cut each of the quarters into either thirds or quarters (depending on big you want your slices). I find twelfths are a good serving size. I find this method much easier than using a knife.