Wine and Dine!

Best Cheese Cake: Ingredients 1. Crust • 15 graham crackers, crushed • 2 tablespoons butter, melted 2. Filling • 4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese • 1 1/2 cups white sugar • 3/4 cup milk • 4 eggs • 1 cup sour cream • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 3. Topping • 1/3 cup water • 1/3 cup orange juice • 3 tablespoons white sugar • 3 teaspoons cornstarch • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional) Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9 inch springform pan. 2. In a medium bowl, mix graham cracker crumbs with melted butter. Press onto bottom of springform pan. 3. In a large bowl, mix cream cheese with sugar until smooth. Blend in milk, and then mix in the eggs one at a time, mixing just enough to incorporate. Mix in sour cream, vanilla and flour until smooth. Pour filling into prepared crust. 4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven off, and let cake cool in oven with the door closed for 5 to 6 hours; this prevents cracking. Chill in refrigerator for at least 12 hours(24 is even better) before serving. 5. In small saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch, water, and lemon juice. Cook and stir until thickened. Add blueberries; cook until bubbly. Remove from heat and finish with balsamic. Chill. Spread on top of cheesecake and refrigerate. Additional Tips A couple of things you should know about cheesecakes: OVERBEATING WILL CAUSE A CHEESECAKE TO CRACK. Beat cream cheese with sugar only until smooth. Proceed with a wooden spoon for the rest of the recipe, folding ingredients in rather than stirring . OVERBEATING WILL CAUSE A CHEESECAKE TO HAVE THE "WRONG" TEXTURE. Air bubbles, gritty/not creamy texture, etc., are fixed by the same instructions above. OVERCOOKING WILL CAUSE A CHEESECAKE TO CRACK. Do NOT check the cheesecake until it's set. Matter of fact, don't check it at all. Put the cheesecake in the oven, set the timer to 60 min. Turn the oven off after timer expires, and forget it. I mean it! Don't open the oven, just leave it alone to do its thing.