ARKANSAS CHEESECAKE

ARKANSAS CHEESECAKE

1 egg -- separated
1/2 cup skim milk
1 package gelatin powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 cups cottage cheese
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 tablespoons cool whip
2 medium graham crackers -- crushed
1 dash cinnamon
1 dash nutmeg

• liquify cottage cheese and cream in blender until VERY smooth
• Set aside.
• Put egg yolk in top of double boiler beat well and add milk.
• Add gelatin & salt.
• Cook over boiling water until gelatin dissolves and mixture thickens. (about 10 minutes)
• Remove from heat, add sugar
• Cool.
• Add cottage cheese, lemon juice and vanilla to cooled mixture.
• Chill, stirring occasionally, until mixture mounds when dropped from a spoon.
• Beat egg white until stiff.
• Fold egg white and cool-whip together into mixture.
• Pour into graham crust.
• Or pour into pie plate and top with crumb topping

Crumb Topping: crush 2 graham crackers fine. Mix with pinch of cinnamon and nutmeg.

Clay Pot Cheesecake

This is a novel idea, I have never thought to drip my curds in a clay pot. I may have to try this. I bet this would be a good candidate for an herbed cheesecake..

Clay Pot Cheesecake
makes 2 Cheesecakes


2 lbs dry curd cottage cheese
3/4 cup soft butter
1 1/2 cups white sugar
4 egg yolks, plus
1 whole egg
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• Press dry curds through a metal sieve using a heavy duty wooden spoon.
• Cream butter, vanilla and sugar, then combine with cheese.
• Beat egg yolks and egg together, blend into cheese/butter mixture, and stir in remaining ingredients.
• Line 2 500 gram size clay flower pots with a double thickness dampened cheese cloth.
• Fill containers with cheese mixture, pressing firmly.
• Cover with dampened cheese cloth and small plate with a heavy weight on top.
• Place each cheese cake in a pie plate (to catch milky drippings) in the fridge and allow to drain for at least 24 hours (48 hrs even better).
• Unmold each cake, removing all cheese cloths.
• Replace in fridge until ready to serve.
• Decorate with strawberries cut in half just before serving, if desired.

4 Cheese Cheesecake

4 Cheese Cheesecake

Ingredients:
8 ounces ricotta cheese, drained
8 ounces baker cheese (can substitute Farmer's cheese, pot cheese, or cottage cheese)
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, drained if wet
1/2 cup sweet unsalted butter, melted
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1 medium lemon, juice of
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (good quality)
3 tablespoons flour (all-purpose)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
16 ounces sour cream
1 1/2 cups very finely crushed zwieback crackers or graham cracker crumbs, approximately
topping of sliced fresh fruit or pie filling or fruit, glaze (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Thoroughly butter the bottom and sides of a 9x3-inch (12 cup) springform pan.
3. Dust pan well with fine Zwieback crumbs, pressing any remaining crumbs into the bottom of the pan and about 1/2 to 1 inch up the sides; set aside.
4. Sift flour and corn starch together into a small bowl or cup, and set aside.
5. In a small bowl, beat eggs and sugar together until thick and sugar is dissolved, set side.
6. Mix together ricotta and baker's cheese, place into a fine sieve and using a wooden spoon, force the cheeses through the sieve into a large bowl.
7. With mixer on medium speed, beat cheeses for about 2 minutes or until creamy.
8. Add cream cheese, and beat on low speed for about 1 minute, or until well blended.
9. Add mascarpone, and beat by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula until well blended.
10. Add melted butter, mixing by hand until well blended.
11. Add egg/sugar mixture, mixing by hand until well blended.
12. Add flour/corn starch mixture, stirring until thoroughly incorporated.
13. Add lemon juice and vanilla, stir until well blended.
14. Fold sour cream into cheesecake batter.
15. Tap bowl of batter on counter several times to get any bubbles in the batter to the top.
16. If necessary, run the spatula through the batter to break up any air bubbles.
17. Slowly pour the batter into prepared pan, lightly tap pan on counter to remove any remaining bubbles.
18. Place cheesecake on middle rack in oven and bake at 350°F for 50 to 60 minutes.
19. Turn off oven, and let cheesecake sit undisturbed (do not open oven door), 60 minutes longer.
20. Remove from oven and continue to cool on wire rack.
21. When completely cooled, cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
22. When ready to serve, run a thin bladed knife or icing spatula between the cake and sides of pan to loosen cake from the sides.
23. Remove the side of the springform pan, leaving the cake on the pan base/bottom to serve.
24. (Optional) Cake may be topped with fresh fruit, pie filling or your favorite fruit glaze.
    

California Cheesecake

California Cheesecake

CRUST:
1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, melted

FILLING:
1 pound cottage cheese, large or small curd
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

TOPPING:
1 pint sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. For crust, mix all ingredients and press evenly over bottom and sides
   of 9-inch cake pan.
2. For filling, beat cottage cheese thoroughly, gradually
   adding sugar.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
4. Beat in vanilla.
5. Pour into crust and bake at 350 degrees 25 minutes, or until set.
6. Make topping while cake is baking.
7. Whip the sour cream enough to make fluffy.
8. Stir in sugar and vanilla and spread over top of baked cheesecake.
9. Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees, and return cake to oven for 5 minutes.