Best cheesecake you ever had?

[Tab]

I've had three.

First, was one in Burlington, VT. I forget the restaurant and the type of cheesecake, but many years later I still remember it as absolutely excellent.

Second was at my wedding. Instead of a traditional wedding cake, we did a multi-tiered cheesecake. It was soooooooooo good. Luscious, creamy, the opposite of the dense New York cheesecake. Man, that was good.

Third is at a greek restaurant nearby. They make a baklava cheesecake. I've had it four or five times now. It's a tie with my wedding cake for favorite, but wins out for being a little more exotic.

You?

[msanthrope]

1. Moosewood's. Thick, creamy, dense...everything a cheesecake should be. nt

[spinbaby]

2. I like New York cheesecake best

Maybe because that's what I grew up with, but nothing beats a nice dense slab of cheesecake.

[pinto]

3. All of them...

(on edit) Yet the one I really like is lemony cheesecake on graham cracker crust, drizzled with melted dark chocolate, some mint and slivered strawberries.

[Lucinda]

13. I couldn't decide between saying "all of them" or "the last one I had"

[kentauros]

4. The best was at an Italian place in Austin,

though it was so long ago now I'd never be able to remember it, if it's even still in business. What made it the best was that it was dry and crumbly. In other words, more like cake than what I see all too often: "cream cheese pie"

Now, there is a great local pizzeria that serves a wonderful pumpkin cheesecake in the fall

[pinto]

5. I like the filling "dry" as well.

[kentauros]

6. In one of the older Cook's Illustrated is a recipe

and instructions for making the cheesecake dry. I think it turned out to simply be a slightly longer baking time (like 10-20 minutes longer) at the same temp. I'll see if I can find it when I get home

[grasswire]

7. the ones I've made myself

I have a couple of good recipes. One is an eggy German style with a pastry crust; the other a traditional, slightly lemon-y NY type.

[The empressof all]

8. The Arlington Diner in North Arlington New Jersey

Now mind you I make an EXCELLENT home made cheese cake but try as I might I can not replicate what they do at this diner. I have tried for over 40 years. I come close but still not the same. They don't ship so your only chance to try it yourself is to go in person or have a kind soul bring you some if they visit. My husband brought me one (to seattle) from NY a few years back.

I know my secret ingredient is whipped cream. My guess is theirs probably is too.

[TxDemChem]

9. An amaretto cheesecake

At a lounge that had poetry readings in Atlanta. I don't even like amaretto, but 12 years later that was still the best I ever had!

[sinkingfeeling]

10. A place on Pennsylvania Ave. in Washington DC, back in the early 1970's. I

spent 4 months in DC attending IBM Basic Education and would go to this little restaurant and order a chopped liver & onion sandwich on rye and a slice of divine cheesecake.

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

11. A place in Manhattan's Little Italy called Ferrara's Bakery

To die for -- dense, with just a hint of lemon.

I am also very fond of ricotta cheesecake, here is the recipe I use, which I stole from Epicurious: (Note: Use the best ricotta you can find. If you can make it yourself, so much the better.)

Ingredients:

For crust:

½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 large egg yolk
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice

For filling:

2 pounds whole-milk ricotta, drained in a cheesecloth-lined sieve set over a bowl at least 6 hours, chilled
6 large eggs, separated
¾ cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
⅛ teaspoon salt

Make crust:
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Pulse flour, sugar, salt, and butter in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add yolk, vanilla, and lemon juice and pulse just until mixture begins to form a dough. Spread dough with a small offset spatula or back of a spoon over buttered bottom of an 8 inch springform pan and prick all over with a fork. Chill 30 minutes.
Bake crust in a shallow baking pan (to catch drips) in middle of oven until golden brown, about 25 minutes, and cool on a rack.

Make filling and bake cake:

Increase temperature to 375°F.

Discard liquid and cheesecloth and force drained ricotta through sieve into bowl. Beat yolks and sugar until thick and pale, then beat in ricotta, flour, and zests. Beat whites with salt in another bowl until they hold soft peaks, and fold into ricotta mixture.

Butter side of springform pan and pour filling over crust (pan will be completely full). Bake in baking pan in middle of oven until cake is puffed and golden and a tester inserted 1 inch from center comes out clean, about 1 hour.
Run a knife around top edge of cake to loosen and cool completely in pan on a rack. Chill, loosely covered, at least 4 hours. Remove side of pan and transfer cake to a plate. Bring to room temperature before serving.

[msanthrope]

12. Oh yeah--this is what my family had every big holiday. A more tradtional Sicilian

recipe would have citron and other minced dried fruit in it.

You can also flavor this with anisette. Amazing.

[The empressof all]

14. I prefer to save good Ricotta for Casatta...

It's my favorite cake and when I do it at home it's a two day process.

Ferrara's makes a good cheesecake...So does Juniors in Brooklyn...But don't bother ordering the frozen it's not the same.

[csziggy]

15. My BIL makes a killer cheesecake

He won't give me his recipe, but I don't care. He brings one to every family get together, which is as often as I need a piece of cheesecake!