[ExpatSteve]

As an expat American living in France, there are some things culinary from home I truly miss. A good burrito for example, or real barbecue. Another on my list for so long was New York-style cheesecake. So I made it my mission to recreate it here in France, and finding the substitute for American cream cheese was the key. One day by chance I discovered "Caprice des Anges" and I was on my way. When I found a graham cracker substitute, I was there.



New York-Style Cheesecake, made in France

Graham Cracker Crust
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (4 ounces or 8 whole crackers, broken into rough pieces and processed in food processor until uniformly fine). Use McVitie’s Digestive Biscuits from England, found at many hypermarches, InterMarche carries them.
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus additional 1-tablespoon melted butter for greasing pan

Cheesecake Filling
600 grams Caprice des Anges ( 3 Packages)
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon corn starch
½ cup crème fraiche
2 teaspoons lemon juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large eggs

For the crust:
Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees (160 degrees C). Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar in medium bowl; add 5 tablespoons melted butter and toss with fork until evenly moistened. Brush bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan with the remaining melted butter. Empty crumbs into springform pan and press evenly into pan bottom using the flat bottom of a quarter-cup measuring cup.


For the cheesecake filling:
In stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat Caprice des Anges cheese at low speed to break up and soften slightly, Less than1 minute. Scrape beater and bottom and sides of bowl well with rubber spatula; add salt, corn starch and about half of sugar and beat at low speed until combined, about a minute. Scrape bowl; beat in remaining sugar until combined. Scrape bowl; add crème fraiche, lemon juice, and vanilla, and beat at low speed until combined, about 1 minute all total. Scrape bowl; add eggs one at a time and beat at low speed until thoroughly combined. Scrape bowl after each egg is added. The goal is to accomplish this in little time, at low speed, so you don’t beat too much air into the mixture, which causes it to rise too much.

Brush sides of springform pan with any remaining melted butter. Set springform pan on rimmed baking sheet (to catch any spills if springform pan leaks). Pour filling into crust and bake for about* 1 hour. Transfer cake to wire rack and cool 5 minutes; run paring knife between cake and side of springform pan. Cool until barely warm, 3 hours. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

To unmold cheesecake, remove sides of pan. Slide thin metal spatula between crust and pan bottom to loosen, then slide cake onto serving plate. Let cheesecake stand at room temperature about 30 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.

*The cake should be set except in the center, where it should wiggle. It will continue to cook out of the oven. Do not overbake, or it will crack. Even if it’s done perfectly, it may still crack, in which case, you can cover it with with fresh fruit or fruit conserves.

[TheKitchenEnquirer]

Sounds fantastic ExpatSteve! I'll be giving that a try.

[Pavlova]

Thanks for the recipe ExpatSteve. The best cheesecake I've ever tasted was one made with Philadelphia cream cheese and if I remember correctly I ate it at the Carnegie Deli in New York.

I'm going to try out your recipe on the weekend
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[dory]

It is so funny, because I have been trying to buy McVitie's digestive biscuits here in the U.S. and I can only find them covered with chocolate, which for me is unacceptable. I bet they would make a good graham cracker crust.

Dory