La cucina di Nicola: Cheesecake!

Nicolas had the great idea to make luscious, delicious, mischievous cheesecake. We were going to try my friend Paola's delicious recipe for crustless cheesecake but I did not have all the ingredients needed. We, as 21st century cooks know that we can always browse a little on the internet and find the right recipe for the ingredients at hand. We found just what we were looking for here. This recipe was perfect for us... with some exceptions: We did not have graham crackers, nor did we have sour cream (remember that we are in Italy, and these ingredients are as foreign as a Colombian living in Azzate!) Fear not, as my friend Joanne from Frutto della Passione had posted this wonderful expat food survival tips for people just like us. Saved by our virtual friends!

I have to mention that the original recipe asks for milk in the ingredients, but it is never added in the recipe. I figured the author had forgotten it, and I added the milk. Our cheesecake came a little wobbly, so I am not going to include the milk in the recipe bellow as I do not think is needed. Also as we made our sour cream using lemon juice, our cheesecake ended up tasting "lemony." We like this serendipitous result.

BAKED CHEESECAKE (ITALIAN STYLE)


Crust:
2 1/4 Cups graham cracker crumbs (we used Mulino Bianco's macine crumbled in the food processor)
1/2 Cup butter, melted

Filling:
1/2 Cup sugar
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Dash of salt
2 eggs

Topping:
1 Cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 tbsp. sugar

Combine crumbs and butter, press into buttered 8 inch pie plate to form crust on bottom and sides.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Gradually add in lemon juice, 1/2 cup sugar, salt and vanilla. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Pour filling into crust.

Bake at 325F for 25 to 30 minutes or until set.

Combine the 2 tablespoons of sugar, sour cream, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla; spread over top of cheesecake then bake for 10 minutes longer. Chill for 5 hours or more before serving with a nice side of seasonal strawberries, delicious!