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A few traditional cheesecake recipes

Writer's picture: Tommy CentolaTommy Centola

As soon as I finished my last article on Al Copeland, I started to think about one of his restaurant concepts, Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro. It was his take on the Cheesecake Bistro. Currently, there is only one location in Baton Rouge. The cheesecakes live on at the Copeland’s of New Orleans chain.


This week, I want to share with you a couple of traditional cheesecake recipes. The first is White Chocolate Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce.  The second is Key Lime Cheesecake. Both are great desserts for any occasion. Grab some cream cheese, and Let’s head to the kitchen!


White Chocolate Cheesecake with Strawberry Sauce


Here’s a twist of my wife’s choice of dessert whenever we dined at Copeland’s. As you know, I love to bake with white chocolate. The strawberry toppings makes for a great combination.


Crust


7 whole cinnamon graham crackers, crushed



1/4 cup sugar


1/3 cup Butter, melted

Filling

4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

4 eggs, lightly beaten

2 egg yolks, lightly beaten

8 ounces white baking chocolate, melted and cooled


Strawberry Sauce


1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 cup water

1-1/2 cups chopped fresh strawberries

Red food coloring, optional

Melted white chocolate


In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom and 1- inch up the sides of a greased 10-in. springform pan. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, flour and vanilla until well blended. Add eggs and yolks; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in white chocolate. Pour over crust. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 45-50 minutes or until center is just set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. For sauce, in a large saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch and water until smooth. Add strawberries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in a few drops of food coloring if desired. Cool. Spread strawberry sauce over top of cheesecake; drizzle with melted white chocolate. Refrigerate leftovers.


Key Lime Cheesecake


Key Lime Pie is the official food of the state of Florida. The tartness of the juice plays well with cream cheese. Key lime juice is readily available at most grocery stores.


2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

1/2 cup butter, melted

24 ounces cream cheese, softened

6 eggs, separated

1 cup sour cream

1 1/4 teaspoon lime zest

1/2 cup Key Lime juice


Preheat oven to 350℉.

Combine crumbs, 1/4 cup of sugar and butter in a small bowl. Mix well. Press mixture in the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a buttered 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool in pan.


Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy. Gradually add 1 1/4 cups sugar. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating after each addition. Stir in sour cream, lime zest and lime juice. In another bowl, beat egg whites into stiff peaks. Fold into cream cheese mixture. Pour batter into prepared crust. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn oven off. Partially open oven door. Let cheesecake cool in oven for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately run knife around the edge of pan to release sides. Cool completely in pan on rack. Cover and chill for 8 hours before serving.


My favorite cheesecake will always be my mom’s, whose recipe I have shared in the past. While these cheesecakes are a great way to end a meal, there are other cheesecakes that are great as appetizers or main dishes. I will share a couple of those next time.

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