New York Cheesecake

I’d only known lofty, dense New York cheesecakes topped with a layer of sour cream. I didn’t get the big deal. But a real New York cheesecake? Now that’s a different thing altogether: smooth, creamy, just sweet, and decadent without feeling cloying. In other words: perfection. There doesn’t seem to be one definition for the style, but the best I read described it as ‘unadulterated’ – just cream cheese, cream (or sour cream), sugar and eggs. As with anything simple, the art is in the act of balance, each ingredient in just the right proportion, and fastidiousness when baking. I don’t think you’ve really tried a New York cheesecake until you’ve had one at Two Little Red Hens, Eileen’s, Veniero’s or, my favourite (just), recklessly covered with uber-thick whipped cream known as schlag at Peter Luger’s – they all just nail it. I also read that New York cheesecake gets its name from the simple but all-defining fact it’s made in New York. But this guy, it comes really close.