best cheesecake ever

just a quick one here...i made this a while ago to eat while watching guys and dolls. i made two cheesecakes, one a classic cheesecake and one a dulce de leche cheesecake from epicurious. my cheesecake wisdom to you: (1) the best crust is a gingersnap crust. (2) if you want a caramel cheesecake, make it with real caramel instead of dulce de leche to get a sharper, more caramel-y flavor. (3) milk products added to the cream cheese always makes your cheesecake more tender. (4) if you don't prebake the crust, it will be softer because it soaks up moisture from the batter. (5) the water bath is key. do not skip the water bath. (6) cheesecake is all about the details - the ingredients being at room temp, the amount of mise en place before you can put the ingredients together, the cooling of the cheesecake with the oven off but propped open....do not skip over the details. (6) making your own dulce de leche is pretty fun.

the classic cheesecake was the best ever: tangy from the greek yogurt i used in place of sour cream, medium light, creamy but not too creamy, perfectly accompanied by the gingersnap crust. this cheesecake will never fail you. the dulce de leche cheesecake was also good, but the layer of ganache i used was too thick, and the flavor was a little muted and muddled. eat your dulce de leche on toast instead of in a cheesecake, or at the very least, use a gingersnap crust to contrast more with the caramel filling.

dulce de leche
1 can sweetened condensed milk (containing only milk, sugar, glucose and sodium bicarbonate)
1 large stockpot (the can should fit inside with lots of room to spare in terms of inches of water above the top of the can)
water

1. place can in pot.

2. fill pot with water. cover top of can with at least 1 inch of water.

3. heat pot until water is boiling. keep at a boil; boil three hours.

4. most important step: as water boils off, keep adding more water so that the can is always covered with at least one inch of water. if you do not do this, the can will explode. do not let the can explode.

5. let cool at least 1 hour before opening and using.

[makes about 1 1/4 cups]


best cheesecake ever!!!
crust
2 packages ginger thins (i used anna's brand from the local supermarket)
4-5T butter, softened

filling
2 lbs cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4c sugar
4 eggs, room temperature
1c greek yogurt
1/2c whipping cream

10" springform pan, plus a large roasting pan into which the springform pan will fit

1. to prepare the pan, wrap the bottom in tinfoil and then lock it into the ring. place the pan on a large piece of tinfoil and wrap the sides in it, in order to prevent water from touching the pan. place the pan in the large roasting pan. preheat the oven to 325F.

2. for the crust: grind up the gingersnaps in a bowl by hand, or in a cuisinart. it should be finely ground - as fine as it can get, essentially. mix in the butter either by hand or in a cuisinart, and pulse until the mixture looks damp. if it's not looking damp, add a little more butter. press into the pan with your fingers, then compact it with a measuring cup or the bottom of a glass.

3. for the filling: using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl until smooth. beat in sugar, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. beat in sour cream and whipping cream. meanwhile, boil enough water to fill the roasting pan to come 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan.

4. to assemble: pour filling into crust. pour boiling water into the roasting pan (in all honesty, i did not boil the water and it was ok). bake until filling is set and golden brown on top, about 1 hour 25 minutes. turn off oven and prop open oven door very slightly with a wooden spoon. let cake stand in oven 1 hour.

5. remove pan from water bath. remove foil (but do not remove cake from the pan yet), cover, and refrigerate to cool completely. to serve, slide a knife around the edge of the cheesecake to make sure it won't stick to the sides of the pan, then remove the sides. transfer to a plate.

note: can be prepared up to 4 days in advance, or frozen up to 2 months. if you freeze it, defrost it overnight in the refrigerator.

[serves 10-12]