Cheesecake

Hi everyone!  I'm looking for feedback on cheesecake.  What do you love best about the ones you've had and what do you absolutely hate about it?  Your all time favorite flavor and the weirdest flavor combo you've ever had?  And who do you think makes the best cheesecake you've ever eaten?
 
I recently achieved every foodie's dream and started my own food business - The Flying Pig Baking Company () and I specialize in cheesecakes.  I LOVE doing flavors that are outside the box - German Chocolate, White Chocolate Lavender, Mango Habanero, Chocolate Chipotle, Wasabi Ginger, and about 20 others.  I've been very fortunate to have already received some favorable reviews and publicity, and I want to continue making the kinds of dessert that foodies crave.  And to do that, I need and value your input!  If any Central Texas foodies were at Sip Savor and Shop or the Totally Texas Culinaria/New World Wine & Food Festival in May, you may have gotten to try some samples and I'd love to hear from you. :)

cheesecake is ALWAYS good...even the bad ones are good :)
 
my fav though is pumpkin cheesecake. 

casadei - I don't know if I'm much help to you, but I'm a purist when it comes to cheesecake - At the risk of sounding like an old crank, I don't want any flavors, fruit toppings, etc., just the plain old fashioned kind made with cream cheese and sour cream. 

I don't know the words to describe it, the tangier(?) the better.  This style of cheesecake must have a name(original flavor, NY style?).  I suspect there's a lot of us out there that feel the same way.   

Thanks guys!  I appreciate the feedback!  I have a couple dozen flavors in The Flying Pig Baking Co product line so far, but want to keep growing and expanding. 

Jocelyn - what types of crusts have you had with the pumpkin?  I'll work on coming up with something really cool to release this fall.

BelleReve - I actually do have a plain cheesecake, because I want to please purists as well, though I don't use graham cracker crumbs for the crust.  As a purist, are you okay with a nontraditional crust if it better balances the flavor of the filling?  Knowing that you like a bit of tang to it is very helpful in creating variations.

Belle has rung the bell-----plain and simple but tangy.

As a young man i loved Lindy's ---- it was a restaurant on Broadway in the heart of Times Square.  It closed late, sometimes very late---and a lot of Broadway stars, and bookies, and newspaper people. and just about anyone in NY would go to Lindy's and sit around
eating cheesecake and drinking coffee and discussing----musicals, and horses, and the world in general..

It was fantastic CHEESECAKE-------just like Belle ordered.  
Down the hatch.

 

graham cracker crust is okay if it's just on the bottom.  is absolutely not necessary, though!
 
i agree with 'bit o'tangy'; not overly so, though.  and i like it thick/creamy (not dry).  not too heavy though - don't want to feel like i've got a lump in my stomach after eating a piece.
 
i've had some that were SO heavy, just 3-4 forkfuls was too much.  yes, it tasted fantastic, just couldn't finish the piece (and it wasn't all that big, either).
 
the best pumpkin one i've had was at the cheesecake factory.  and the reason was probably because they used fresh pumpkin (they only offer it in the fall).  other places that i've had it at it was not in the fall, so, they had to have used canned pumpkin.  good, yes.  didn't have that 'extra' that the cheesecake factory one had though.

I can't recall ever eating cheesecake that didn't have a graham cracker crust.

I have a peanut butter pie recipe that uses a crust whose ingredients include a little flour, butter, and ground pecans (pecan meal) patted down and blind baked - I guess for budget purposes, walnuts could easily be substituted -  now that might be a different taste, but subtle enough not to overwhelm the filling.  

A nice (although it may sound odd) variation on pumpkin is to make it with a chocolate swirl.  The crust can be made from those crushed chocolate wafer cookies and butter.
 
Chocolate and pumpkin may seem like a strange combination, but I think they go well together, especially if you spice the pumpkin with cinnamon.
 
I agree that fresh pumpkin is much tastier than canned.

for crusts I use varying combinations of white or dark chocolate chips, coconut, chopped nuts, granola, dried fruits (mango, orange, ginger, etc), or whatever else I can think of to give a nice crunch without the "sandy" or mushy texture that can come when using cookie crumbs.  That way the crust becomes another layer of flavor to be savored and not just an accessory for holding the filling.

 
here's what some of my cheesecakes look like  - all three photos are of my white chocolate and lavender ones done for different events - a party, a wedding, and a simple one for Mother's Day.  What do you guys think?

i like the simple one best.  mainly because it's more traditional.
 
although...
 
the fancy-dressed ones would certainly be good for giving the guests a 'surprise' so-to-speak.  no one would ever suspect that those fancy 'cakes' were actually cheesecake!  nice work :)

When I make pumpkin pies, I heat the pumpkin (canned) with the spices and sugars before I mix it with the egg/milk mixture - the finished pies have a more 'cooked' and finished taste - many pies that I have had just taste raw to me...  This might be something to try in a pumpkin cheesecake.
In the '60's there was a restaurant in NYC called La Fonda del Sol...  It had South American cuisine and a cheesecake to die for - - it had a thin shortbread bottom crust, a lovely light, almost fluffy thick layer of  wonderful vanilla-y tangy cheesecake, a thin layer of soured cream and was topped with a very thin top pastry - I have tried to duplicate it without success - I can get the bottom/cheesecake/soured cream layers, but I have never been able to figure out that top 'crust' - - it was thin, smooth, almost translucent and dry to the touch...  It melted in your mouth...  It could not be 'peeled' from the top of the cream layer...  But I believe that it was baked after the cream layer was put on the cheese layer.... 
I know - - clear as mud!!!!  Sigh......

thanks! so from what ya'll are saying, it looks like the next two flavors I should work on would be a variation on plain that has the tanginess you like, and also a pumpkin - with organic fresh pumpkin - for this fall.

Ancient Mariner - thanks for sharing such wonderful memories. 

Now you and casadei have gone and done it - and now I keep thinking about baking one.  

Mamey Cheesecake is the best!

BelleReve


casadei - I don't know if I'm much help to you, but I'm a purist when it comes to cheesecake - At the risk of sounding like an old crank, I don't want any flavors, fruit toppings, etc., just the plain old fashioned kind made with cream cheese and sour cream. 

I don't know the words to describe it, the tangier(?) the better.  This style of cheesecake must have a name(original flavor, NY style?).  I suspect there's a lot of us out there that feel the same way.   

I agree with you. I don't want my cheesecake mucked up with ANYTHING (and certainly not pumpkin). Most people do though so a cheesecake business is a smart idea in my opinion. I LOVE PLAIN cheesecake and if it were possible I would shoot it up daily. I have to stay far away from cheesecake or go to cheesecake rehab.
If I owned a cheesecake business I would want to make the BEST ever product.

I have no objection to a separate topping though like canned cherries or fresh or frozen blackberries/raspberries with NO SUGAR. For potlucks I sometimes buy the large Trader Joe's cheesecake and buy frozen raspberries or blackberries (not mixed, no strawberries or razzleberrie mixes) and pile it high on top of the cheesecake and let it defrost by itself. It looks kinda expensive and gets eaten up quick.

My sister used to make this traditional cheesecake with cherry topping and it was to die for, but I lean toward a NY style cheesecake when I indulge at a restaurant.
I think if I owned a cheesecake business I would make both styles of cheesecake and carry a plain coffee or pero product (half and half cream) to go with it. Graham cracker crusts are the law right? But for business, America is so mad for chocolate that I suppose there has to be a chocolate version. I am not a chocolate fan myself but it's better than pumpkin.

As the two English ladies said regarding what Americans do with pumpkin: "Americans have a lot to answer for."

-------------------

BTW, Flying Pig owner:
I wish you much success with all your styles of cheesecake!!

MiamiDon


Mamey Cheesecake is the best!

 


The mysterious Mamey. One day I hope to actually see one in person. Batido de Mamey sends me into rapsodies. An authenitic Cuban meal is a must when I visit Miami and it wouldn't be complete without a Mamey shake.
I don't want to see Mamey in my cheesecake though.

In the midst of a progressive New York cheesecake taste test.  Had Carnegie's, which I've had before, last night.  Lindy's tonight.  Carnegie's was much taller and frankly the slice was a challenge to finish.  Lindy's was just about the right size but maybe a hair too sweet.

Hmmm Yummy Cheesecake I like orange chessecake

I always wanted to try a savory cheesecake - say blue cheese with bits and pieces of sundried tomato/panchetta/a hint of garlic baked in.
Has anyone tried it?

I bought a pan to bake cheese cake in but I have looked at the many recipes and I am having a hard time deciding which one to use.. Anybody got any idea about a easy bake cheese cake.
 
Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

in ny we used a cheese called bakers cheese it was richer than cream cheese and had a slitly grainey texture .ny was the only place you could get it when i worked in atlanta we would import it from nyc. the chesse cakes had a denser texture than cream cheese ones.
we used gram crusts but one baker would use a slice of yello cake on the bottom as a crust it was like a super light gram crust
people would love it and not relize it was not gram and a lot easyer to do if you were making 40 or 50 at a time.cook your yellow cake in the same size pan and slice crosswise a half inch thick and press in to the pan then topp with cc batter an bake as normal.
pumpkin cc add one can pumpkin and p pie spice to your basic batter use gingr snaps for a twist.

I like it plain, with a graham or possibly shortbread crust.
For Christmas dinner I bought a Cheesecake Factory red velvet cheesecake from Sams Club. It was basically a red velvet cake with a cheesecake on top. It left me wanting just a plain old cheesecake. The next day I cut off the cake bottom of my slice and just ate the top, but it still didn't satisfy the cheesecake craving! I've been wanting a real one ever since.

SuperDog


I always wanted to try a savory cheesecake - say blue cheese with bits and pieces of sundried tomato/panchetta/a hint of garlic baked in.
Has anyone tried it?

No, but I once had a great savory smoked salmon version!

I did a first for me.  I baked a New York style cheese cake.  I had never done it before.  I bought a combination of three different types of springform pans.
 
I sprayed them with a baking oil/flour and did a graham cracker crust with sugar and butter.  I mixed four 8 ounces of cream cheese with Belize vanilla, sugar, four eggs and a little flour.
 
My spring form pans were coated with a surface of non stick but I still sprayed them.
 
I baked it for one hour and let it cool.  It came out nice and tan and I am now letting it cool in the frige.  I will let it stay there for about four hours and I will sample it with some fresh strawberries and extra rich whip cream.  I cannot wait.  I will have it with some nice Chablis.
 
I nice treat for a very cold snowy day in Knoxville, TN
 
Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN