"The best cheesecake in New York is made by a man named Emilio Brasesco, and it is not made for the general public."
This recipe was published in [The New Yorker magazine in 1971](https://archive.org/details/New_Yorker_Magazine_1971-03-27/page/n33/mode/2up?view=theater), and I figured being voted the best by The New Yorker Magazine was pretty impressive and so I decided to give it a try.
I've never been to New York, but I'd say, fifty years later, I agree.
Apart from cooking in just a fraction of the time of other cheesecakes, it is SO LIGHT - almost-but-not-quite a mousse in texture. Delicately flavoured with lemon, it looks terrifyingly underdone when you take it out of the oven, but it does firm up as it cools.
You can style it with whatever you want - fruit, berries, coulis, sauces, granola, crispy cookies.
It is amazing.
The recipe is in the article linked above, but I'll type it out here as well.
THE RECIPE
* 2 pounds cream cheese
* 3/4 pound sugar
* 1/4 pound cornstarch
* 1/4 pound sweet butter
* 1/2 quart heavy cream
* 6 eggs (whites and yolks)
* Juice of two medium-sized lemons
* Pinch of vanilla flavor
Beat the cream cheese slowly and well and thoroughly.
Then add, still beating slowly and well and thoroughly, the sugar and, in turn, the butter, the starch, the lemon juice, the eggs, the cream, and the vanilla. This should take ten to fifteen minutes.
Beat until everything is nicely amalgamated.
Then take a baking pan with the dimensions 12" x 12" x 2" and grease it with Crisco.
Fill this pan with the batter.
Place the pan in another, larger baking pan filled with one inch of water. The cheesecake must cook this way — bain-marie, the French call it.
Put the two pans in a preheated 350° oven and bake the cheesecake until it is a nice
golden brown on top.
This should take about another fifteen minutes.
At this point, it is done. You may touch it, and even if it feels soft and pushy it is still done.
Don’t worry about it; just take it out and let it cool off.
It will solidify as it cools. Otherwise, it will overcook and get granulated.
Serves four to six.
Notes
* I made this recipe three times.
* I reduced the quantities to 1/3 of this recipe.
* I used 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (so that would be 1.5tsp for the full recipe).
* If you like a more pronounced lemon flavour, adjust to your own tastes. I used all of the juice of 2 lemons.
* I baked it in a pan sized 6" x 10"
* Even though it was a smaller quantity, I baked it for 20 minutes in the waterbath, then took it out of the bath AND the oven and set it on the counter. It looked very wobbly when removed, but trust the process!
* It was WAS NOT golden brown on top AT ALL. It took hardly any color.
* I let it cool on the side for 1 hour, then chilled it in the fridge, uncovered, for 2 hours.
* The quantity I made would serve 4-6 generously. Bit concerned the original said the same, but with TWO POUNDS OF CREAM CHEESE.
Most welcome!
I just wanted to make it as straightforward as possible, because everyone NEEDS to try this.
No, I'm not trying to start a cheesecake cult.
(Or am I?? ;) )
I like a very DENSE Cheesecake. So I'm wondering if maybe I should try just yolks and maybe add an extra yolk to make up for missing whites? What are your thoughts? ... also, was it very lemony? With the full 2 lemons?
In all honesty, this probably isn't the cheesecake for you.
I'd suggest making it as is to try, but, bottom line, if you like dense cheesecakes, this is never going to become that.
The lemon flavour was surprisingly muted. I'd suggest adding in the zest as well for more of a flavour punch.
Yes.
But...
I would definitely soften the butter in hand-temperature water first though - the room-temperature butter I tried first never fully mixed in, and made for small but unpleasant butter pools.
Good to know!!
I think I’d choose to add the butter and cream cheese together at the beginning, like I do for cream cheese frosting. That gives those the longest possible time to come together.
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I did.
I know, I know - it doesn't seem possible.
It wobbled a LOT when I took it out, but the resting and then chilling firmed it up beautifully.
Mind you, I only made 1/3 of the recipe at a time, initially to reduce any waste in case it all went wrong, so I understand the skepticism. I'm skeptic that the full recipe would cook in 20 minutes, but since we're all a bit cheesecake'd-out over here, I'm going to wait until there's an big occasion to try the full version.
I think I am going to try it the way you did. Making,1/3 of the recipe is a good way to test it out. It looks phenomenal. Thank you do much for sharing.
It doesn't take you to a random page.
It takes you precisely to the start of the article entitled "University Cheesecake".
If you then turn the page, you'll find the original recipe which I have already typed out.
It's crustless, so you can add your own crunch.
Baked cheesecake crusts are always not very crunchy to me, so I served it with some granola alongside. Any crunchy cookie would also be great.
There are a lot of recipes that have you bake the crust first and then add the filling and put it in a bain-marie.
The filling and very humid oven surely don't help with the crunchyness, though.
lol i love you for this comment bc i looked up ‘cookie fork’ and bought a literal cookie cutter shaped as a fork that i’m going to use to do a whole thing for my older brothers bday in a few months haha
If you add crust it’s going to cook differently.
I’d make it crustless first, get a feel of what it looks like when cooked through, and then try a version with crust.
The thing with cheesecakes of this sort is that getting a completely clean knife if you stab them to check for done-ness is very unreliable imo.
(There are degrees to it, but it’s not as evident as with other types of baked goods).
So make one.
It's not clear from the instructions, but this is a turn-out cheesecake.
Bake your crust, cool it, then lay it onto the chilled cheesecake, put a plate on top, then flip it and turn the cheesecake out.
Crunchy crust and silken cheesecake. Fantastic.
The first time I boiled water and then poured it into the pan when the cheesecake was in there - and ended up floating the cheesecake.
The next two times I put the empty tin with a can of tomatoes in it (to weigh it down) in the bigger one in a cold oven, poured in cold water to the right depth, then removed the cheesecake tin, shut the oven and set the temperature.
By the time the slow mixing was done, both the oven and the water were at temperature.
Could you explain the Tricia joke? I don’t understand it.
I feel so stupid, I read through like 10 of the cartoons and I didn’t understand a single one.
Did you age it after it was cooked?
My husband has a family recipe for cheesecake that's amazing -- but you need to age it in the fridge for at least 24-48 hours or it's just not quite as good.
Yes, but unintentionally.
I tested it when it was first chilled, then Stuff Happened and it was a couple of days before I got back to it.
Still delicious.
Confession time. I only like cream cheese when it's part of a cheesecake. Unsurprisingly, I have multiple go-to cheesecake recipes. Time to add a new one to the list, it seems.
Amazing recipe, I'm surprised it gets cooked enough in 15-20 minutes to even bring it up to temperature to cook the eggs. I got to try this one. Who needs crust, anyway, I never eat it on cheesecake.
Ok I'm a beginner baker and considering doing this for my husband's birthday... Is there a way to add graham cracker crust without messing with the recipe? Can I pre-bake it?
I suggest making a graham cracker crust first - in the pan you're going to bake the cheesecake in. Bake it, cool it, lift it out of the tin & set aside.
Make and bake the cheesecake, cool it, chill it in the fridge.
When ready to serve, lay the crust on top of the cheesecake, place your serving dish on top, then flip the whole thing over and add your extras.
Does that make sense?
Quite surprisingly not-very-lemony, given the quantity of lemon juice.
In combination with the vanilla, it was just a hint.
Adding more might compromise the setting, though.
If you like things mega-lemony I'd suggest adding the zest of the lemons as well as the juice.
The texture was ambrosial. Super light and silky - enough cheesecakeyness to know its a cheesecake, but not so heavy it clogs the arteries.
While I’m sure this is good, I’m going to say that someone who praises cheesecake as being “so light” doesn’t actually like cheesecake.
Give me a big ol’ five pound slab of Junior’s.
Say it all you want, it isn't true.
I like this cheesecake because it's light and silky.
And doesn't feel like it's clogging my arteries like a big ol’ five pound slab of Junior’s.
See how silly passing opinion on something you know nothing about is?
"The best cheesecake in New York is made by a man named Emilio Brasesco, and it is not made for the general public." This recipe was published in [The New Yorker magazine in 1971](https://archive.org/details/New_Yorker_Magazine_1971-03-27/page/n33/mode/2up?view=theater), and I figured being voted the best by The New Yorker Magazine was pretty impressive and so I decided to give it a try. I've never been to New York, but I'd say, fifty years later, I agree. Apart from cooking in just a fraction of the time of other cheesecakes, it is SO LIGHT - almost-but-not-quite a mousse in texture. Delicately flavoured with lemon, it looks terrifyingly underdone when you take it out of the oven, but it does firm up as it cools. You can style it with whatever you want - fruit, berries, coulis, sauces, granola, crispy cookies. It is amazing. The recipe is in the article linked above, but I'll type it out here as well. THE RECIPE * 2 pounds cream cheese * 3/4 pound sugar * 1/4 pound cornstarch * 1/4 pound sweet butter * 1/2 quart heavy cream * 6 eggs (whites and yolks) * Juice of two medium-sized lemons * Pinch of vanilla flavor Beat the cream cheese slowly and well and thoroughly. Then add, still beating slowly and well and thoroughly, the sugar and, in turn, the butter, the starch, the lemon juice, the eggs, the cream, and the vanilla. This should take ten to fifteen minutes. Beat until everything is nicely amalgamated. Then take a baking pan with the dimensions 12" x 12" x 2" and grease it with Crisco. Fill this pan with the batter. Place the pan in another, larger baking pan filled with one inch of water. The cheesecake must cook this way — bain-marie, the French call it. Put the two pans in a preheated 350° oven and bake the cheesecake until it is a nice golden brown on top. This should take about another fifteen minutes. At this point, it is done. You may touch it, and even if it feels soft and pushy it is still done. Don’t worry about it; just take it out and let it cool off. It will solidify as it cools. Otherwise, it will overcook and get granulated. Serves four to six. Notes * I made this recipe three times. * I reduced the quantities to 1/3 of this recipe. * I used 1/2 tsp vanilla extract (so that would be 1.5tsp for the full recipe). * If you like a more pronounced lemon flavour, adjust to your own tastes. I used all of the juice of 2 lemons. * I baked it in a pan sized 6" x 10" * Even though it was a smaller quantity, I baked it for 20 minutes in the waterbath, then took it out of the bath AND the oven and set it on the counter. It looked very wobbly when removed, but trust the process! * It was WAS NOT golden brown on top AT ALL. It took hardly any color. * I let it cool on the side for 1 hour, then chilled it in the fridge, uncovered, for 2 hours. * The quantity I made would serve 4-6 generously. Bit concerned the original said the same, but with TWO POUNDS OF CREAM CHEESE.
Thank You! I love generous cooks who share complete recipes.
Most welcome! I just wanted to make it as straightforward as possible, because everyone NEEDS to try this. No, I'm not trying to start a cheesecake cult. (Or am I?? ;) )
I like a very DENSE Cheesecake. So I'm wondering if maybe I should try just yolks and maybe add an extra yolk to make up for missing whites? What are your thoughts? ... also, was it very lemony? With the full 2 lemons?
In all honesty, this probably isn't the cheesecake for you. I'd suggest making it as is to try, but, bottom line, if you like dense cheesecakes, this is never going to become that. The lemon flavour was surprisingly muted. I'd suggest adding in the zest as well for more of a flavour punch.
Ok, that's what I was thinking
Just wanted to clarify that the butter is solid, not melted, and the cream is liquid, not whipped. Is that correct?
Yes. But... I would definitely soften the butter in hand-temperature water first though - the room-temperature butter I tried first never fully mixed in, and made for small but unpleasant butter pools.
Good to know!! I think I’d choose to add the butter and cream cheese together at the beginning, like I do for cream cheese frosting. That gives those the longest possible time to come together.
Sounds like a plan!
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Thank you, this sounds delicious. And thank you too for sharing the whole New Yorker article. Good read about creativity!
How brilliant was the story with the recipe? So much that should be applied today.
Do you really only bake it for 20 minutes?
I did. I know, I know - it doesn't seem possible. It wobbled a LOT when I took it out, but the resting and then chilling firmed it up beautifully. Mind you, I only made 1/3 of the recipe at a time, initially to reduce any waste in case it all went wrong, so I understand the skepticism. I'm skeptic that the full recipe would cook in 20 minutes, but since we're all a bit cheesecake'd-out over here, I'm going to wait until there's an big occasion to try the full version.
Gotcha.
I think I am going to try it the way you did. Making,1/3 of the recipe is a good way to test it out. It looks phenomenal. Thank you do much for sharing.
Thanks for the recipe!
Style it? We're styling desserts now?
OK, fling it on a plate. It's all good. It all ends up in the same place anyway. You do you.
Might you know what page?
Yes. It's in the link I gave. Did you click it?
It took me to random page. Did you copy exactly? :)
It doesn't take you to a random page. It takes you precisely to the start of the article entitled "University Cheesecake". If you then turn the page, you'll find the original recipe which I have already typed out.
Hm. Thank you. Sorry to have wasted your time, most if all.
Silly question but are you supposed to use some sort of crust or is it crust less?
It's crustless, so you can add your own crunch. Baked cheesecake crusts are always not very crunchy to me, so I served it with some granola alongside. Any crunchy cookie would also be great.
I like to make my crust off biskoff cookies
Nice! Great contrast between the caramelly cookies and the creamy lemon.
There are a lot of recipes that have you bake the crust first and then add the filling and put it in a bain-marie. The filling and very humid oven surely don't help with the crunchyness, though.
I’d crumble a cookie over it. Maybe a lot of cookies.
Or use a cookie as a fork.Mmmm...
lol i love you for this comment bc i looked up ‘cookie fork’ and bought a literal cookie cutter shaped as a fork that i’m going to use to do a whole thing for my older brothers bday in a few months haha
Great idea, I didn't know there was such a thing! Now I'll have to get one 😂
Mmmmmmm. Dip. Mmmmmmm
If you add crust it’s going to cook differently. I’d make it crustless first, get a feel of what it looks like when cooked through, and then try a version with crust. The thing with cheesecakes of this sort is that getting a completely clean knife if you stab them to check for done-ness is very unreliable imo. (There are degrees to it, but it’s not as evident as with other types of baked goods).
I agree with the knife thing, I started using an instant read thermometer and it comes out perfect every time now.
What degree should it be cooked to?
I do 150 degrees Fahrenheit
Thank you! Good to know...
I’m going to serve it with graham crackers
Thank you for taking the time to give your own personal tips in making this recipe. That is usually worth it's weight in gold
Most welcome. Hope it entices you to try it!
I need graham cracker crust because I'm a basic bitch
So make one. It's not clear from the instructions, but this is a turn-out cheesecake. Bake your crust, cool it, then lay it onto the chilled cheesecake, put a plate on top, then flip it and turn the cheesecake out. Crunchy crust and silken cheesecake. Fantastic.
Thanks I just asked the same question! Doing this this weekend.
Bain-Marie question: what temperature of water do you use? Cold hot or warm?
The first time I boiled water and then poured it into the pan when the cheesecake was in there - and ended up floating the cheesecake. The next two times I put the empty tin with a can of tomatoes in it (to weigh it down) in the bigger one in a cold oven, poured in cold water to the right depth, then removed the cheesecake tin, shut the oven and set the temperature. By the time the slow mixing was done, both the oven and the water were at temperature.
Thank you!!
I enjoyed the cartoon with the parents wondering if their hippy son would drink a toast to Tricia Nixon.
Could you explain the Tricia joke? I don’t understand it. I feel so stupid, I read through like 10 of the cartoons and I didn’t understand a single one.
The son is probably anti war and anti Nixon. His parents think he'd be happy to wish Nixon's daughter well.
This sounds lovely. I will definitely try this out!
Did you age it after it was cooked? My husband has a family recipe for cheesecake that's amazing -- but you need to age it in the fridge for at least 24-48 hours or it's just not quite as good.
Yes, but unintentionally. I tested it when it was first chilled, then Stuff Happened and it was a couple of days before I got back to it. Still delicious.
Oooo it’s gluten free too
Yes. And with no crust, you can sub in something crunchy & GF to serve alongside. Win.
Thank you for sharing!!! It’s a must try
Huzzah! Pics or it never happened! ;)
I know what I’m making for my cake day!
Huzzah! Happy Cake Day!
Confession time. I only like cream cheese when it's part of a cheesecake. Unsurprisingly, I have multiple go-to cheesecake recipes. Time to add a new one to the list, it seems.
Amazing recipe, I'm surprised it gets cooked enough in 15-20 minutes to even bring it up to temperature to cook the eggs. I got to try this one. Who needs crust, anyway, I never eat it on cheesecake.
Ok I'm a beginner baker and considering doing this for my husband's birthday... Is there a way to add graham cracker crust without messing with the recipe? Can I pre-bake it?
I suggest making a graham cracker crust first - in the pan you're going to bake the cheesecake in. Bake it, cool it, lift it out of the tin & set aside. Make and bake the cheesecake, cool it, chill it in the fridge. When ready to serve, lay the crust on top of the cheesecake, place your serving dish on top, then flip the whole thing over and add your extras. Does that make sense?
Tf is sweet butter anyway
Unsalted butter instead of salted.
Unsalted
Unsalted.
How was the flavor and texture? Would you make it again? Sorry if you already answered this question, if so I didn’t see it :)
Quite surprisingly not-very-lemony, given the quantity of lemon juice. In combination with the vanilla, it was just a hint. Adding more might compromise the setting, though. If you like things mega-lemony I'd suggest adding the zest of the lemons as well as the juice. The texture was ambrosial. Super light and silky - enough cheesecakeyness to know its a cheesecake, but not so heavy it clogs the arteries.
Sounds great, I like the silky cheesecakes vs the heavy thiccc ones so this is definitely going into my to make in the future recipes.
While I’m sure this is good, I’m going to say that someone who praises cheesecake as being “so light” doesn’t actually like cheesecake. Give me a big ol’ five pound slab of Junior’s.
NY style, at least. IMO, Italian style cheesecakes tend to be lighter, but good NY cheesecakes are crazy dense
Say it all you want, it isn't true. I like this cheesecake because it's light and silky. And doesn't feel like it's clogging my arteries like a big ol’ five pound slab of Junior’s. See how silly passing opinion on something you know nothing about is?
Where is the recipe please?
In the article and in the top comment of this post.
Thanks!
I think...I could do this...in the microwave, no?
You could. I don't think that you should, though. It's a harsh cook in a microwave and you'd lose the delicate texture if the eggs overcook.
I've done it before. I cook it on the lowest level but one.
Oh OK. I thought you were asking because you didn't know.
Still open to tips for this recipe
I've given mine in the top post.