Dessert

This is for you Mindy.

New York Style Cheese Cake

Crust:

11 whole chocolate graham crackers, broken into tiny pieces
4 Tbls. unsalted butter, melted
2 Tbls. granulated sugar

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the ingredients together. Transfer to a 10 inch spring form pan. Press into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes, then set on a wire rack and cool completely.

The cheesecake

5 8oz pkgs of cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 c. sugar
3 Tbls. all-purpose flour
1 Tbls. grated orange peel - if desired
1 Tbls. grated lemon peel - if desired
1/4 tsp. salt
5 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 c. heavy whipping cream
1 c. miniature chocolate chips - if desired

1. Make crust
2. Heat oven to 450
3. Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, orange peel, lemon peel, and salt in a large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed about 1 minute or until smooth. Beat in eggs, egg yolks and 1/4c. whipping cream on low speed until well blended. Pour into crust.
4. Bake 15 minutes
5. Reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees. Bake 1 hour longer. Cheesecake may not appear to be done, but if a small center seems soft, it will become firm as cheesecake cools. Do not insert knife! Turn oven off; leave cheesecake in oven 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven and cool in pan away from drafts on wire rack 30 minutes.
6. Without releasing or removing side of pan, run metal spatula carefully along side of cheesecake to loosen. Refrigerate uncovered about 3 hours or until chilled.