World's Best New York CheeseCake

Spring and Easter time holiday is here, ready or not. Do you want to bake a dessert that is fool proof and enjoyed by all? Sure you do, luckily I have the solution - my New York Style Sour Cream Cheesecake Recipe. This recipe has been adapted from a recipe that requires 90 pounds of cream cheese, yielding some thirty 10-inch cheesecakes. So, I can say that it has been well tested by thousands; plus more importantly, my own family. I hope you and your family enjoy it just as much!

P.S. Feel free to improvise and use any of your favorite kind of cake or cookie crumbs for the bottom of the cheese cake and put on your own signature.

George Hirsch Worlds Best Cheesecake

New York Style CheeseCake

Recipe Makes 12-16 servings
chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle eMagazine

To prepare the crumb bottom:
1-1/2 cups *vanilla wafers, grind into crumbs, or good cake crumbs
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Line bottom and sides of a 10 inch tart pan, or 9 inch spring form baking pan with parchment paper. Parchment paper can overlap sides to make removal of cheesecake easier after baking. Place cookies in food processor; process until fine crumbs form. In a bowl mix cookie crumbs, melted butter and press onto bottom of pan. Refrigerate ten minutes.

2 pounds, 4-8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup Turbino (natural sugar in the raw) sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch 
1 teaspoon vanilla 
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons lemon zest
3 whole eggs, beaten and at room temperature
3 yolks, add to whole eggs
1 cup sour cream, room temperature

To prepare cheesecake:
Preheat oven to oven to 400°F.

At medium speed with an electric mixer cream the cream cheese until smooth. Mix cornstarch with sugar and add to cream cheese. Reduce the mixer speed to low until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed after each addition, mix just until blended. Stop mixer and scrape sides of bowl well after each addition. Add vanilla and sour cream in two stages, stopping mixer and scrape bowl after each addition. Pour cheesecake filling over crumb bottom.
Bake 10 minutes at  400°F.; lower temperature to 225°F and continue baking 1 to 1 1/2 hours, or until center is set. 

Cool 1 hour, un-mold cheesecake carefully from baking pan, refrigerate 2 hours. 

Holiday Option: Add a Topping:
2 cups fresh mixed berries
1/4 cup raspberry jam, warm

Just before serving, arrange berries on top of cake. Warm jam in a microwave safe container for a few seconds, to slightly melted. Drizzle jam on top of berries and serve. 

Chrusciki

This time of year, particularly near Easter, reminds me of Polish Chrusciki, aka fried ribbons, angel wings and many other names. Throughout all of Europe just about every country has their own version and influence behind this easy but special treat. 

Simply, the ribbons of sweet dough are simply fried and covered with powdered sugar or honey. It is hard to have just one, but you won't be eating these everyday, so just enjoy this sweet holiday treat. BTW, good for dunking.

For My Recipe For Chrusciki

George Hirsch Lifestyle TV Series Releases Today

George Hirsch Lifestyle TV Series

Check Local Listings RELEASING NATIONWIDE ON PUBLIC TELEVISION April 5th

In every episode George invites you into his home-studio kitchens where he cooks, bakes and even grills his mouthwatering favorite recipes, such as; apple strawberry rhubarb pie, oven-fried garlic chicken and pork tenderloin sliders. George also will take you to visit his favorite local places and sources for fresh ingredients—taking viewers behind the scenes to drop-in on sustainable artisan producers in the heart of the Hamptons.

Chef George Hirsch

Celebrity Chef George Hirsch is at the heart of quality cooking & lifestyle in-and-out of his Hampton's home kitchen—sharing his deep culinary knowledge and well-honed techniques for the at-home cook and better living lifestyle enthusiast. 

Roasted Spring Tuber

Try something new when picking up a starch or side for tonight's meal. The new potato, named after its young spring harvest, is chock full of vitamins and minerals, especially vitamin C. 

There are varieties of sping potatoes, like fingerlings, to choose from; each offer a rich buttery flavor and taste well with many different cooking applications like boiling, roasting or grilling. And all simple to do.

Enjoy with its thin tender skin on, just scrub and cook. There's no need to get fussy, they taste best in their original form. To prepare: simply roast with olive oil, garlic and rosemary for about 25 minutes. Garnish with chives. Roasted new potatoes are a great side for my Grilled Steak Chimichurri. 

Final Four Fifty-Fifty

It's Final Four Weekend with a lot of excitement surrounding these games. Who will be dishing-up the winning basket. We'll see. 

Need a perfect one-pot dish that everyone will enjoy gameday? Here's a new spin on a classic, dressed up a bit for grown-up flavor. Everyone likes macaroni and cheese. Cheddar is the common cheese of choice, but I like using Gruyere as well, to put a bit of bite in my baked mac; using the fifty-fifty cheese ratio. But feel free to use chef's poetic license and use more or less Cheddar if you like.

Cheddar & Gruyere Macaroni and Cheese 

by Chef George Hirsch | Makes 6 servings

2 Tablespoons Butter
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon hot sauce
pinch fresh grated nutmeg
2 cups half & half
3/4 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 cup Gruyere cheese, shredded
2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
1 1/2 pounds uncooked elbow, shells, or other small pasta

Melt Butter in a large soup pot or saucepan. Add onion, and garlic, nutmeg and sauté for 1 minute. Add the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Slowly add the broth, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, add the hot sauce, and simmer for 10 minutes. 

Stir in the half & half and heat to a simmer. Slowly add the Cheddar, Gruyere, and Parmesan cheeses, stirring until they melt and the sauce is smooth. Stir in the cooked pasta. Place in a serving dish and eat immediately or sprinkle with Mac Topping, and bake five minutes in a 350 degree oven. 

For the Mac Topping

4 Tablespoons butter, melted
6 Tablespoons bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tablespoon each fresh parsley, chopped
Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients in a bowl and mix well.

Put your own spin on this one pot dish by adding a variety of ingredients such as:

Vegetables: peas, broccoli, or muchrooms

Meats: prosciutto, smoked baked ham, or pulled pork

Seafood: crab, lobster, or shrimp

image, © GingerBlossom | istock