I should have given this a bit more thought!

I do not have air conditioning and we are in the middle of an incredible heatwave here in the midwest.

The heat index was 106 degrees! yesterday.

We were celebrating a birthday and this cheesecake with strawberries and whipped cream is a favorite.

It did look great when I placed it on the table but by the time I picked up the camera it was sliding all over the place!

That was about 15 seconds!

One of the secrets to the greatness of this cheesecake is the crust.

The butter toasted pecans make the crust amazing and every time I make this the only request is that next time I make more crust!

Ingredients:

Crust

1 stick of butter

3/4 cup of pecans

1 1/2 cups graham crackers

Filling

3 8 oz. pkgs cream cheese
1 cup superfine granulated sugar
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 eggs
1/3 cup whole milk
Whipped cream prepared or homemade; we used Redi-Whip, it’s a nostalgia thing!

Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Saute butter and pecans until they become aromatic and lightly toasted

Place graham crackers, sauteed pecans and butter in the food processor and mix until the texture is fine

Press into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan and bake for 10 minutes

Set aside; reset oven to 325 degrees

With an electric mixer beat cream cheese, sugar and flour together until well mixed

Add vanilla and beat until smooth

Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition

Beat until smooth

Add milk and mix until well blended

Pour the batter over the crust and bake in preheated 325 degree oven for 45-55 minutes

Fell free to garnish with your favorite fresh fruit after the cheesecake has chilled in the fridge overnight

Don’t be shy with the whipped cream!

Put love in it and Enjoy!

Every year around Thanksgiving as friends are making dinner plans, the first question I get is, “are you making your Dulce de Leche Cheesecake?” Everyone knows that I am cooking dinner and that I will be making 5 or 6 desserts, which vary, but there are always hopes that this cheesecake will be in the line-up.

I always say, “of course”, actually this year I will make 2. And then I proceed to dig out my collection of recipes, line up my help; daughters, and begin to make lists.

I had a difficult time finding this recipe and the web was of little help. I needed the exact perfect mouthwatering recipe that has secured my place in the hearts and bellies of my friends and family.

After much searching I found this dog eared paper; water stained and coated in crusty something or other and copied it and committed it to a dessert file and on a portable disk.

It is amazing.

Now some may find fault with the Dulce de Leche part of this cheesecake. They may say it is not authentic or truly dulce de leche, however, I stand by the recipe and the method and contend that if a recipe translates into something this good then it must be right.

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 cup graham cracker crumbs and macadamia nuts
3 tbsp. butter, melted

Filling:

3 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese (24 oz. total)
1 cup superfine granulated sugar
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. vanilla extract (Neilsen-Massey)
3 eggs
1/3 cup whole milk
1/2 cup ready-made or homemade Dulce de leche sauce* (see recipe below for Homemade Dulce de leche)

For Serving:
Extra Dulce de leche sauce

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).

2.In food processor mix crust ingredients together, and press into the bottom of a lightly buttered 9-inch springform pan. Place pan on a baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.

3. Reset oven temperature to 325°F (160°C).

4. With an electric mixer beat cream cheese, sugar and flour together until well mixed and smooth. Add vanilla and beat until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat until smooth. Add milk and mix until well blended.

5. Measure 1/2 cup of the cheesecake batter and pour into a small bowl. Add Dulce de Leche sauce and stir until well combined.

6. Pour plain batter over crust. Top with Dulce de leche batter by placing rounded spoonfuls over the cheesecake batter and gently swirl into plain batter with the tip of knife or spatula.

7. Bake in preheated 325°F (160°C) oven for 45-55 minutes or until center is almost set. Remove from oven and gently run metal spatula around rim of pan to loosen cheesecake (this helps prevent cracking). Let cool 20-25 minutes before covering and placing in the refrigerator. Refrigerate 4 to 6 hours or overnight before serving. If desired, serve each slice drizzled with a little bit of dulce de leche sauce, or pass around a bowl of dulce de leche sauce for guest’s to help themselves.

Dulce de Leche

1 can of sweetened condensed milk
Make two holes in the top of the can
Place in a pot of water standing up and not allowing the water to get into the open can.
Simmer on low heat for 2-3 hours
Keep filling the water to maintain a level just less than half an inch from the top of the can.

My eldest daughter loves lemon meringue pie. She has always loved this pie, even as an infant should would shovel the filling into her mouth and grab hunks of crust in her cherubic hands and gnaw on them with pure delight. I would make it just to watch her eat it!

For every holiday or special event we make this pie for her. She is fantastic at helping in the kitchen and is perfecting her pie crust making skills.

I made this big pie doubling the original recipe which seems just a bit too skimpy given how delicious this pie truly is. I make each batch separately and blend them together to fill the pie. I have never had very good luck making the filling at double the volume. It never seems to mix very smoothly or to thicken very evenly.

I only ever use the Perfect Pie Crust from Martha Stewart as follows:

Perfect Pie Crust:
Adapted from Martha Stewart
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
15 tablespoons unsalted butter (or 12 tablespoons plus 3 tablespoons margarine or chilled vegetable shortening)
¼ cup ice water

Put the flour and salt into the bowl of the machine. Cut the butter (shortening) into the flour. Process a few seconds until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Drop by drop add water, process a bit more. The whole procedure should take 20-30 seconds. Wrap and chill for at least 1 hour.

Lightly flour a work surface. Divide the pastry in half. Pat each half into a flat round. Lightly flour a rolling pin. Roll pastry in one direction only, to 1/8 inch thick, turning the
pastry to prevent it from sticking to the surface. Using your pie plate, measure the rolled out pastry-it should be slightly larger than the plate. Fold it in half so that you can lift it easily. Unfold, gently fitting the pastry into the pie plate, allowing it to hang evenly over the edges. Don’t trim off the excess just yet.

This is where I make the edge. I fold over the excess and create a nice thick crust and form the best decorative finish that I can manage. (Again, I am not a baker) Then gently poke holes with a fork to prevent bubbling.

I bake this at 425 degrees fahrenheit for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Turn oven down to 350 degrees.

Now you are ready to add the filling.

HINT: Make the filling while the pie shell is cooking.

Lemon Pie Filling Recipe:
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup water
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2-3 tsp fresh lemon peel or zest, grated
4 large egg yolks, beaten
3 Tbsp butter

Directions:
Blend sugar, cornstarch and salt together in saucepan.
Add water, lemon juice, lemon zest and beaten egg yolks and bring to a boil on low-medium heat, stirring and whisking often. Do not allow it to stick to the bottom of the pan or burn.
Continue to simmer until filling is thick, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and without stirring, let butter melt on top of filling.
After the butter melts, stir in.
Pour into the cooked pie shell.

Meringue Recipe:
1/2 cup sugar
4 egg whites

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
With a high-speed mixer, whip egg whites on high until foamy.
While beating, add sugar 1 Tbsp at a time until meringue forms soft peaks.
HINT Egg whites at room temp seem to work best

Lemon Meringue Pie Assembly:
Be sure to pour meringue on the hot lemon filling.
Spread a layer of meringue over the filling and right to the ends of the shell sealing in the filling.
Pile on the remaining meringue and swirl into decorative peaks with a spoon or spatula.
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (more or less, all ovens are different) or until meringue peaks start to brown.
Cool completely before refrigerating. Chill well before serving.