Bishop's Cheesecake Recipe

Greg Nigh, my Bishop in Madison, makes a superb cheesecake. A few months ago, he deigned to share his recipe with us. I've reproduced it below. He also includes some tips to make a flawless cake.

Note: I do not advocate the frequent consumption of such a dish. It would be deleterious to one's health. Consume at your own risk, remembering "moderation in all things." That caveat said, here we go!


Preparation

Line the bottom of a 9" springform pan with heavy duty aluminum foil. Lining the bottom will allow you to easily remove the finished cheesecake from the pan, and after removing the foil, to cut the cheesecake for serving. Assemble the springform pan, and wrap the springform pan with two 18"x18" sheets of heavy duty aluminum foil. The cheesecake will be baked in a water bath; the aluminum foil wrap is to keep the water out of the cheesecake.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Crust:
1 pkg graham crackers, finally crushed
1/2 cup sugar
5 tablespoons of butter, melted

Combine above until well-blended and firmly pack into the bottom of prepared springform pan.

Cheesecake:
3 8-oz pkg of cream cheese (room temperature)
1 cup sugar
8 oz. sour cream
3 large eggs
1/2 Tbsp. vanilla

Beat the cream cheese for 3-4 minutes until it is very soft and creamy. Add the sugar gradually, and scrape the bowl to make sure all the cream cheese is being worked in. Add the sour cream, beat well, and again scrape the bowl down, especially the bottom. Add the eggs one at a time. Add the vanilla and mix for another minute. Pour into prepared pan.

Place the pan into a roaster or large baking pan. Add about 3/4 inch of warm water into the baking pan for the water bath.

Bake at 350 for 80 minutes on the middle rack. The top should be gold brown. Remove from the oven, and remove the cheesecake from the water bath. Remove the aluminum foil from the outside of the springform pan. Run a plastic knife around the inside of the springform pan to separate the cheesecake from the pan. Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until completely cooled - I will refrigerate uncovered overnight.

Remove the springform side, and then remove the cheesecake along with the aluminum foil lining in the bottom of the pan from the pan bottom. Remove the aluminum foil from the bottom of the cheesecake. Use a good bread knife to cut the cheesecake. After it's cut, you can place it on a 10" cardboard circle that you can get at Vanilla Bean.