Cherry Sauce

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients
4 cups (552 g) sweet cherries (fresh or frozen), pitted*
1/4 to 1/3 cups (60 ml) water
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp sugar

Instructions

1. In a medium saucepan (off the heat), add water (use 1/3 cup for fresh cherries and 1/4 cup water for frozen cherries). Whisk in 1 Tbsp cornstarch, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, and 2 Tbsp sugar.
2. Place over medium heat and whisk constantly until the mixture starts to thicken.
3. Add cherries and cook stirring occasionally until sauce is at a light boil (about 6-10 minutes for fresh cherries and 12-15 minutes for frozen). The sauce should be thickened and uniformly bubbling, not just at the edges, then remove from heat.
4. Cool to room temperature then cover and store in the refrigerator in a glass mason jar or Tupperware container until ready to use. It will thicken more as it stands.

To accompany cheesecake.

Perfect New York Style Cheesecake

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
Resting Time: 8 hours
Total Time: 10 hours

Ingredients
For the Crust:
1 1/2 cups (125g) graham cracker crumbs from 12 whole crackers
6 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
1 Tbsp granulated sugar

For the Cheesecake:
2 1/4 lb (1 kg) cream cheese room temperature (4 1/2 packages, 8-oz each)
1 1/4 cups (250g) granulated sugar
6 large eggs room temperature
1/4 cup (57.5g) sour cream
1/2 Tbsp vanilla extract

Instructions
How to Make Cheesecake Crust:

1. Crush graham crackers into crumbs. In a medium bowl, combine crumbs together with melted butter and sugar and stir until moistened.
2. Press crumbs into a 9" springform pan, going up the sides slightly. Bake in the centre of the oven at 350˚F for 8 minutes then cool to room temperature.
3. Place 2 large sheets of extra-wide heavy-duty foil on the counter. Set the springform pan in the centre and fold the foil up the sides of the pan ensuring there are no rips or holes. Fan the foil out slightly at the tops to keep the rim clear for rising.

How to Make Perfect Cheesecake:

1. Preheat oven to 450˚F/230˚C. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine cream cheese and 1 1/4 cups sugar. Beat on medium/high speed for 5 minutes until completely smooth, scraping down the bowl and attachment as needed.
2. Reduce speed to medium and add eggs one at a time, letting them incorporate between each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed.
3. Reduce speed to low and add 1/4 cup sour cream and 1/2 Tbsp vanilla and mix just until incorporated. Pour batter over the foil-wrapped springform pan with your cooled crust.

How to Bake Cheesecake in a Water Bath:

1. Boil a pot of water (boil more than you think you'll need to ensure there's enough). Set your cheesecake pan in a deep roasting pan. Pour hot water around the edges about half-way up the sides of the springform pan (1 1/2" to 2" of water).
2. Carefully transfer cheesecake to the centre rack of the oven and bake at 450˚F/230˚C for 15 minutes then reduce heat to 225˚F/110˚C and without opening the door, bake additional 60-70 minutes or until centre of cheesecake wobbles slightly when you tap the pan.
3. Remove cheesecake from the oven and let it rest in the roasting pan with water for 45 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight to fully set before slicing.

Make cherry sauce as accompaniment. 

Recipe from Natasha's Kitchen

New York Cheesecake

Ingredients:

5 large eggs, room temperature
2 cups (one pint) sour cream, room temperature
4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
8 tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Directions:

1. Generously butter the inside of a 10-inch springform pan. Wrap a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil tightly around the outside bottom and sides, crimping and pleating the foil to make it conform to the pan. This will help to prevent water seeping into the pan when you put it into the bain-marie. Position the baking rack in the center of the oven; preheat the oven to 300* Fahrenheit.
2. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the sour cream until well blended.
3. In a medium-sized bowl, beat the cream cheese with the butter until smooth and creamy. Add this to the egg-sour cream mixture and beat until smooth.
4. Add the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest and beat thoroughly, about 2 minutes.
5. Pour into the prepared springform pan and place in a roasting pan (or other pan) large enough to prevent the sides from touching. Place in the oven and carefully pour in enough very hot tap water to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
6. Bake for 2 hours, 15 minutes, or until the cake is very lightly colored and a knife inserted in the center emerges clean. Remove from the water bath and carefully peel the aluminum foil from around the pan. Let stand at room temperature until completely cool, about 4 hours. Refrigerate, covered, until well chilled. For best flavor and texture, this cheesecake is best chilled overnight.

**My Notes: I can’t stress enough how important it is to let those first 4 ingredients in this recipe come to room temperature. I’ve hurried the cream cheese and have had unsightly lumps of it in my batter.
**I’ve italicized the mixing instructions to emphasize blending the ingredients to achieve the desired texture.
** Have a platter or other large dish that will hold the hot and drippy springform pan after you remove it from the bain-marie. When you remove the bain-marie from the oven, the water is very hot, so please exercise extreme caution.
Before removing the roasting pan, have a plan on where you are going to set it so you are not holding the pan, desperately searching for a clear space to set it down. I find it impossible to remove the cheesecake from the bain-marie while it is in the oven, so I remove the entire set-up from the oven. I make every effort not to burn my wrists or the back of my hands while removing the springform pan; I haven’t been burned yet, but I have soaked the edges of the potholders in the hot water, and it’s amazing how fast that steaming water is wicked up to my tender fingers!
**When you first remove the cheesecake from the oven, it looks light and puffy, and there may be some hairline cracks in the top. Do not despair. As the cheesecake cools, it will gently deflate and the hairline cracks disappear.

Slow Cooker Cheesecake

TOTAL TIME: 7:25

PREP: 0:25
SERVES: 6

Ingredients"
Cooking spray, for pan
3/4 c. graham cracker crumbs
3 tbsp. melted butter
1/2 c. plus 1 tbsp. sugar, divided
1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
2 8-oz. blocks cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1/3 c. sour cream
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Preparations:

1. Grease a 6” springform pan and wrap tightly with two layers of foil. In a 6-quart slow cooker, pour 1” water. Create a foil circle and place inside slow cooker as a rack.
2. Make crust: In a large bowl, stir together graham cracker crumbs, butter, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Press into greased pan and set aside.
3. Make filling: In a large bowl using a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and remaining 1/2 cup sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, sour cream, flour, vanilla, and remaining 1/4 tsp. salt and beat until combined.
4. Pour filling over crust. Top slow cooker with three layers of paper towels and lid.
5. Cook on high for 2 hours, then turn off heat and let stand 1 hour.
6. Remove cheesecake from slow-cooker and remove foil from pan. Refrigerate until completely chilled, at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Keto Cheesecake Tarts

Prep Time : 30 min

Cook Time : 30 min
Total Time : 1 hr

Ingredients

Crust
3 tbsp butter, melted
¾ cup almond flour

Filling
12 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1 egg
¼ cup erythritol
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp salt

Toppings
¼ cup sugar-free strawberry jam
¼ cup blueberries

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and start off by combining your melted butter with almond flour and mixing until it’s crumbly, but combined.
2. Line a muffin tin with paper or silicone cupcake liners and press about 1-2 teaspoons of your almond flour crust mixture into each liner.
3. Let these crusts bake in the oven for about 5-8 minutes or until you see they’ve turned golden brown.
4. To make the cheesecake filling, beat 12 oz. of cream cheese with an electric hand mixer until soft and then add in 1 egg. Mix to combine.
5. Then add ¼ cup of erythritol, or your favorite low carb sweetener, and mix.
6. Next, add 1 tsp of vanilla extract, 1 tbsp of fresh lemon juice and ¼ tsp of salt and mix one last time.
7. Spoon your cheesecake filling onto the baked crusts and bake for about 20 minutes. The cheesecakes will have risen and be set, yet slightly jiggly on top.
8. Let them cool on the counter for about 10 minutes and then top each one with a teaspoon of sugar-free jam. We used strawberry, but any flavor will work!
9. Then add some fresh fruit over that. We used 3 blueberries for each mini cheesecake.
10. Let them chill in the fridge overnight or as long as you can!

Notes
Each tart is 175 calories - 16 grams of fat - 9 grams of protein - 2.8 grams of net carbs

Japanese Cheesecake

Ingredients:

⅔ cup (130 milliliters) milk
4 ounces (100 grams) cream cheese
7 tablespoons (100 grams ) butter
8 egg yolks
½ cup (60 grams) flour
½ cup (60 grams) cornstarch
13 large egg whites
⅔ cup (130 grams) granulated sugar
Parchment paper
Strawberries, to serve
Powdered sugar, to serve

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 320°F/160°C.
2. In a small pot over medium heat, whisk the milk, cream cheese, and butter until smooth. Remove from heat and cool.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks until smooth, then slowly drizzle in the cream mixture, stirring until evenly combined.
4. Sift in the flour and the cornstarch, whisking to make sure there are no lumps.
5. In another large bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand mixer until you see soft peaks when lifting the mixer up from the egg whites. 
6. Gradually add the sugar while continuing to beat until you see hard peaks when lifting the mixer up.
7. Take about ¼ of the egg whites and fold them into the egg yolk mixture, then repeat with the remaining egg whites until the batter is evenly combined.
8. Place a 4-inch parchment paper strip around the edge of a 9x3-inch cake pan that is already lined with parchment at the bottom. If you are using a springform pan, make sure to wrap the bottom and sides completely in foil, twice, to prevent any leakage.
9. Pour the batter into the parchment-lined pan and shake to release any large air bubbles.
10. Place the filled pan into a larger baking pan or dish lined with 2 paper towels at the bottom. The paper towels ensure that the heat is distributed evenly along the bottom of the pan. Fill the larger pan about 1-inch with hot water.
11. Bake for 25 minutes, then reduce the heat to 280°F/135°C, and bake for another 55 minutes, until the cake has risen to almost double its height.
12. Remove from oven, and carefully, invert the cake onto your dominant hand and peel off the paper. Be extremely careful, the cake will be hot. You can also invert the cake onto a plate, but this will cause the cake to deflate more. 
13. Sprinkle the top of the cake with powdered sugar, slice, and serve with strawberries while still warm!

Cheesecake in a Jar

Prep: 20 min, Total: 50 min
4 servings
879 cals

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup white sugar
4 half pint canning jars with lids and rings

Cheesecake:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
2/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 fresh strawberries, sliced

Method:

1. Mix graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, and 1/4 cup sugar together in a bowl. Press 1/4 the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each jar.
2. Beat cream cheese and whipped topping together with an electric mixer in a bowl until well blended. Beat 2/3 cup sugar and vanilla extract into cream cheese mixture until smooth and fluffy. Spoon 1/4 the cream cheese mixture onto graham cracker crust in each jar. Top each cheesecake with sliced strawberries. Refrigerate cheesecakes until serving time.

Banana Cream Cheesecake

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 25 min. + chilling

MAKES: 10 servings

Ingredients:
1-3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

FILLING:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 carton (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed, divided
3 to 4 medium firm bananas, sliced
1-3/4 cups cold milk
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant banana cream pudding mix

Method:

1. In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Set aside 1/2 cup for topping. Press remaining crumb mixture onto the bottom and up the sides of a greased 9-in. springform pan or 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 5-7 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
2. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Fold in 2 cups whipped topping. Arrange half of the banana slices in crust; top with half of the cream cheese mixture. Repeat layers.
3. In a small bowl, whisk milk and pudding mix for 2 minutes. Let stand for 2 minutes or until soft-set; fold in remaining whipped topping. Pour over the cream cheese layer. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until set.

Nutella Vanilla Cheesecake Cups

Ingredients:

2 cups Oreo cookies, crushed
3-4 TBSP butter, melted
2 8 oz packages cream cheese, room temp
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 cup milk
1/8 cup heavy cream
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 TBSP vanilla
2 TBSP flour
1/2 cup Nutella

Method:

1. Place the oreos in a blender and pulse until they are fine crumbs. In a bowl, mix well with melted butter and press into cup cake tin lined with paper liners.
2. Place cream cheese and sugar into your mixer and mix until combined. Add milk, heavy cream, sour cream, vanilla, and flour. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, and mix JUST until combined.
4. Remove 1/3 of the batter and mix in with the Nutella.
5. Fill lined cupcake tins with 1/2 vanilla batter. Sprinkle a few chocolate chips on top of the vanilla. Top with Nutella cheesecake batter, and bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-25 minutes, or until the middles are set.
6. Chill for several hours, or overnight for best flavor.