Everyone Loves Cheesecake!

Grant's made lots of cheesecakes throughout his cooking life - from fancy ones like Turtle Truffle Cheesecake to this one - his delicious go-to plain cheesecake. And I hesitate to call it 'plain' cheesecake because it's really very flavorful and creamy. He's made it so many times that he can whip it up pretty quickly. And that's a good thing when your wife says "It's _____'s birthday tomorrow. Can you make a cheesecake quick?" We hope you'll give it a try!

Here's the recipe:

Grant's Cheesecake

Crust

¼ cup melted butter
¼ cup sugar
1 cup crumbs (graham crackers or other dry cookies pulsed in the food processor)

Filling

1 ½ lbs. cream cheese (at room temperature)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 eggs

Mix all crumb ingredients together and pack into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan.

Set aside and make the filling.

Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla in a mixer with a paddle attachment until smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl and mix some more until all is homogenous.

Set the mixer on low speed and add the eggs one at a time, mixing only until incorporated. If you whip it too much, it will rise too much when it bakes, and then it will fall and crack when it cools.

Put the filling into the pan on top of the crust. Set the springform pan in a larger pan with deep sides. (If your springform pan is not tight, wrap the bottom of the pan with foil so water won’t get into the cheesecake).

Set the whole works into a preheated 300 degree oven, and add hot water to the larger pan, until it comes up halfway on the springform pan.

Bake for about 1 ½ hours, or until the middle is set. Turn the oven off and open the door. Allow to cool for about 15 minutes in the oven. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack to room temperature.

Place in the refrigerator and cool until completely chilled.

Remove ring from springform pan and cut it with a knife that has been run under hot water. Continue to run the knife under hot water for each cut.

That's it! It's great with some fruit on top, like blueberries or strawberries, and Grant likes it with some chocolate sauce drizzled over it. Or it's just as tasty on it's own. Let us know if you try this cheesecake recipe!