Michael wrote:

How do I make my crusts soft? Do you have a simple
alternative crust I could try?

Thank you, Michael

Michael, years ago I made a cheesecake that had a crust made from cake
crumbs. The springform pan was buttered, then you sprinkled cake
crumbs (use whatever you want, yellow cake, pound cake, etc.) on the
bottom and up the sides of the pan, pressing in the crumbs as much as
possible. Fill and bake in the usual way. The resulting crust was
very thin, light and soft.

Sandy

Michael wrote:

How do I make my crusts soft? Do you have a simple
alternative crust I could try?

Thank you, Michael

Instead of graham crumbs, which I know you say you like, use a cookie
type crust -

this one is generally softer and more easily cut than a graham crust,
at least in my

experience:

1 C. unsalted butter, room temp.
2 C. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
4 large egg yolks
2 3/4 C. all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy - add vanilla and yolks,
one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour and salt
together, and add to creamed mixture - beat until just barely coming
together, but still crumbly.

Divide dough in half and form into two flat patties - use immediately,
or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Roll out dough to fit springform pan and shape it in the pan as needed.

Makes 2 crusts for 9" pans.

N.

On 15 May 2006 12:26:04 -0700, Nancy2 wrote:


Michael wrote:

How do I make my crusts soft? Do you have a simple
alternative crust I could try?

Thank you, Michael

Instead of graham crumbs, which I know you say you like, use a cookie
type crust -

this one is generally softer and more easily cut than a graham crust,
at least in my

experience:

1 C. unsalted butter, room temp.
2 C. sugar
1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
4 large egg yolks
2 3/4 C. all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp. salt

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy - add vanilla and yolks,
one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour and salt
together, and add to creamed mixture - beat until just barely coming
together, but still crumbly.

Divide dough in half and form into two flat patties - use immediately,
or wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Roll out dough to fit springform pan and shape it in the pan as needed.

Makes 2 crusts for 9" pans.

N.

I think he needs to butter the pan and sprinkle a smattering of
crumbs... they should be graham cracker, but who cares when it's so
little? The best cheese cake I know (which no one has heard of except
locals and NO ONE can reproduce) of has only a hint of crust on it.
--

Ham and eggs.
A day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.

Thanks to everybody for posting. Although I like the graham
cracker crust, our favorite restaurant has a cheesecake that
has a very soft and smooth crust that I also like. I'd like to
give that a shot. Several of the recipes that you described
sound like they might give me something close to this. At
the bookstore, a cheesecake cookbook regularly recommended
crumbled butter cookies and butter.

And although I know there are strong arguments for minimal
or no crust, I'll probably stick with a quarter-inch crust on the
bottom on the sides.

Thanks again, Michael

Ranee wrote:

Hard to believe as it is, some people do like the contrast
between the crust and the creamy cake.

********************
I make them regularly, at least a couple a month, and take
them into work. I've yet to see somebody skip the crust,
although I have seen them struggle valiantly trying to defeat
it with a plastic fork.

Government office workers are great for the ego of a beginning
cook. Anything you take in disappears in minutes, and there
are no complaints.

Michael

Michael wrote:

And although I know there are strong arguments for minimal
or no crust, I'll probably stick with a quarter-inch crust on the
bottom on the sides.

Thanks again, Michael

A quarter inch? That sounds really thick to me, for a cheesecake
crust. You should probably bake the crust, break it into chunks, and
use the cheesecake mixture as a dip. ;-)

N.

On Tue 16 May 2006 08:42:24a, Thus Spake Zarathustra, or was it Nancy2?


Michael wrote:

And although I know there are strong arguments for minimal
or no crust, I'll probably stick with a quarter-inch crust on the
bottom on the sides.

Thanks again, Michael

A quarter inch? That sounds really thick to me, for a cheesecake
crust. You should probably bake the crust, break it into chunks, and
use the cheesecake mixture as a dip. ;-)

N.

My preference for many cheesecakes is to heavily butter the springform pan,
then toss around graham cracker or other crumbs to coat nicely, tossing out
the excess. It's frequently just enough of a "crust", and it absolutely
never hard or tough. I have never cared for totally crustless cheesecakes.

--

Wayne Boatwright
__________________________________________________ ___________

"How can a nation be great if it's bread taste like Kleenex?"

Julia Child

Nancy2 wrote:

A quarter inch? That sounds really thick to me, for a cheesecake
crust. You should probably bake the crust, break it into chunks,
and use the cheesecake mixture as a dip. ;-)

****************
Alright! That's about enough of that! Next thing I'll hear about is
my crust falling off a shelf and killing a man. ;-)

Michael