Sophie's Choice Greek Cheesecake
This recipe was handed down through my mother in the 1940's. Sophie and mom were neighbors on the fith floor of their "walk-up" (no elevator) appartment. The apartment building was the home to many nationalities - Italian, Greek, English, Scottish, French. They often watched each other's children, had chats over coffee when it was available, and of course, shared inherited recipes. I hope you like this recipe. I've written it according to the original and added optional "modern" day ingredient options.
Servings 16 slices
Cost $10
Equipment
- Large mixing bowl
- Medium mixing bowl
- Hand or stand mixer
- Spatula
- 9-inch springform pan
- Knife (for releasing cheesecake from side of pan)
- Large knife for cutting and serving
- Regular fork
- Sieve or blender
Ingredients
Almond Cheesecake Crust
- 2 cups Almond flour Substituted for traditional graham crackers or zeibach Sophie used
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 3 tbsp Granualted sugar Granulated instead of caster - the large crystals will allow the butter and almond flour to adhere together. If using graham crackers, omit the sugar.
- 1 teas Almond or or vanilla flavoring Optional
Sophie's Cheesecake
- 1.5 lbs Cottage or ricotta cheese
- 6 large eggs
- 1 cup cream
- 1 cup Granulated sugar I prefer caster sugar for this step. Blend granulated in a blender to reduce the size of the crystals so it incorporates more readily.
- 1 teas Almond or vanilla flavoring
- Dash Salt
- 2 tbsp Cornstarch I use arrowroot to avoid corn products.
Instructions
Method for Making the Crust
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C). Grease a 10 in (23 cm) springform pan (or you can line the bottom with parchment paper).
- With a fork, mix the almond flour (or crushed graham crackers/ziebach), melted butter, sugar, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl, until well combined and dough is crumbly. Press the dough into the bottom of the prepared springform pan. Bake for 12 mins. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
Preparing Cheesecake
- Press cheese through a sieve to make it smooth or use a blender.
- Separate the egg yoks from the whites. Beat well the egg yolks until light yellow. Add sugar, cheese, cream, cornstarch, salt, and flavoring. Beat well, but don't overbeat. You want a smooth batter but not aerated and fluffy. Beat whites and fold into cheese mixture.
- Pour batter into pan on top of cooled crust. Bake 1 hr or until the center is set, but jiggly. Turn off oven and allow to cool in oven 1.5 hrs.
- Allow to thoroughly cool 3 or 4 hrs on countertop or overnight in refrigerator.