Lemon Cheesecake – Another Best, Really.

After another week of making what I consider the ‘best of’ something this month I have to wonder what has come over me. I did not set out to do a ‘Best of’ series but it’s happened nonetheless. Maybe it’s the bit of melancholy I feel in the fall that has me thinking of foods that I love? I really don’t know but think I will plan ahead and devote the last Monday of the month to a recipe from my archives that I’ve always thought the best and include a list of links to others I’ve seen during the month that I have found especially appealing. I so often make something new…this will force me to revisit some old favorites that might be feeling a bit taken for granted.

It’s been fun. I’ve also noticed that each of my best of have such different histories for me. The Smashed Potatoes were a conglomeration of the best way I like to make potatoes happily combined with the newness of adding goat cheese. The Molasses Chocolate Chip Cookies were something totally new that I tried that turned out to be the best doggone chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had. Since this effort was not intentional this month, I didn’t do a best of post when I visit 303 Distillery but I can honestly say it was the best time I’ve ever had on a distillery visit!

So on this last Monday of September, not wanting to disappoint, I’ve included what I consider the BEST cheesecake recipe ever. The original recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks, Colorado Cache, from the Junior League of Denver. It was given to me as a housewarming gift 25 years ago by my neighbor Pat who was a contributing member. It has never failed me and I’ve many favorites from this book. It has been loved so much so that my first copy, a spiral bound version, had to be replaced. Maybe not known to you, but when I went to the market for ingredients on Saturday, a woman noticed it in my basket and even came up to show me a couple of her favorites!

What makes this cheesecake so special? Well, for one thing, it tastes like cheesecake. Not Snickers or Turtles or Whoppers or any of the multitudes of conglomerations I’ve seen done to cheesecakes. Even seeing photos of some of those make my teeth hurt! I won’t call this a New York cheesecake for I’m not the judge of that but I will say that I love the rich cheese flavor combined with a touch of lemon. Simple, beautiful and simply the best I’ve ever had! Add some strawberries or raspberries and it’s an elegant and special dessert.

One reason I love it even beyond the luxurious taste? See that top after it’s been taken out of the oven? Not one crack in site. No hot water bath either. And then, as if there were a flaw to disguise, a sweetened layer of sour cream is baked on for 5 minutes and then it’s topped with a glaze of lemon. Perfect with berries. No candy required!

My ONLY revision to this perfect recipe should not be too surprising to those that know me. Wanting to have the top be yellow to reflect the lemon color I pondered what I could add. I have food coloring, sure but then I had a brainstorm. Limoncello! I simply substituted half of the water with 1/4 cup Limoncello! Perfect. This dessert is going to be my contribution to a party for the premier of Pan Am on television last night.

My friend Kim was a flight attendant for Pan Am back in their heyday; she invited some of her cohorts from then to join her and other friends for the premier. I got such a kick out of the Pan Am shrine with uniforms and photos and I’ll soon be doing a post with photos of those and a sample from the menu Kim made that was reminiscent of what they served to passengers then. Before anyone had a clue what the letters TSA stood for…ahh, those really WERE the days! I offered to bring dessert and we thought this cheesecake would fit in fine from that era. The real beauty of it…I think it’s just as current for today!

This is a luscious and large cheesecake, enough for 12-16 servings. From the Junior League of Denver’s Colorado Cache cookbook (copyright 1978 and still love it!)