Nutmeg Cheesecake
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 pounds fresh cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 3/4 cups sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 4 eggs
- 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs (pulse whole graham crackers in a food processor)
- Thickly brush a 9-inch springform pan with 1/2 of the melted butter and place in the freezer to harden, about 10 minutes.
- When hard, repeat to make a thick coating of butter.
- Adjust your oven rack to the lowest position and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer), beat the cream cheese until fluffy and very smooth.
- Beat in the extracts, nutmeg, sugar, and salt.
- One at a time, add the eggs, scraping down the bowl after each addition.
- Pour into the prepared pan and place the pan on a double-layer sheet of aluminum foil, with at least 3 inches of foil all around the pan.
- Fold the aluminum foil up around the sides of the pan.
- Fill a roasting pan large enough to hold the cake pan with hot water to a depth of about 1-inch, then lift the foil-wrapped cake into the roasting pan, keeping the foil turned up so that it prevents water from overflowing or seeping into the cake.
- The foil should not be closed over the top of the cake.
- Be careful not to tear any holes in the foil!
- Bake until the top of the cake is golden brown and dry to the touch, though still a bit soft in the center, about 1 1/2 hours.
- It should "shimmy" a bit when you shake the pan; it will firm up more as it cools.
- Remove the pan from the water bath, remove the foil, and let cool at room temperature 15 minutes.
- Refrigerate, uncovered, 2 hours before removing the cake from the pan.
- To remove the cake from the pan, first remove the sides.
- Cover the surface with plastic wrap.
- Place a large plate over the cake, then flip the cake over and onto the plate, tapping if necessary to help the cake come away from the pan bottom.
- If tapping doesn't do the trick, try a blow torch or stove burner to warm the bottom of the pan to loosen it.
- Remove the pan bottom and evenly sprinkle the exposed surface with graham cracker crumbs.
- Place a serving plate over the crumbs and flip the cake again so that the crumbs form the bottom crust and the top is covered with plastic.
- Refrigerate, lightly covered, at least 3 hours or overnight before serving.
unsalted butter, cream cheese, vanilla, almond, nutmeg, sugar, salt, eggs, graham cracker crumbs
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/nutmeg-cheesecake-recipe2.html (may not work)