Big Time

For the Crust:

7 Lazzaroni Amaretti Double Wrapped Cookies (14 cookies total)
1 Cup Sliced Almonds
5 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
3 ½ Tablespoons Guar Gum
2 ½ Tablespoons Sugar

For the filling:

4-8oz. Rectangles of Cream Cheese, absolutely at room temperature
1 Cup Sour Cream
1/3 Cup Heavy Cream
4 Large Eggs, at room temperature
1 1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
½ Teaspoon Salt
2 Teaspoons Mexican Vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9” spring form pan with butter and wrap the bottom of the pan in three layers of aluminum foil and set aside. Put a kettle full of water on the stove and bring to a rolling boil while you prepare your cheesecake. Find a roasting pan that will accommodate your spring form pan and will allow the water to rise up at least to the middle of the cake pan.

In a food processor with the blade attachment, pulse the sliced almonds and the amaretti cookies until you have symmetrical crumbs. Add the guar gum and pulse a few more times and then turn the amaretti crumbs onto a convenient pan or plate. Whip the butter with the sugar for 3 minutes or until very fluffy in a stand up mixer with the paddle attachment. When the butter looks pale with promise, add the amaretti crumb mixture and fold into the butter and sugar. When the crust batter forms a collection of pea-sized balls, it is ready for the spring form pan. Using your hands, gently scoop the crust batter out of the bowl and uniformly sprinkle over the bottom of the pan. Press the crust into the bottom of the pan, being careful to create as flat a surface as possible. Bake your crust for 12 minutes and then immediately remove from the oven to cool.

In the meantime, make the filling:

In a large mixer with the paddle attachment, whip the cream cheese and the granulated sugar for 3 minutes, scrape down the sides of the bowl and the paddle and then resume mixing for 3 minutes more or until very smooth; so smooth that there is a definitive silky sheen. This is a crucial step for Cheesecake because the lumps you see now do not bake out later, so you really want to be very aware of this fact as you are whipping up your batter. Scrape down your bowl again and then add the heavy cream, sour cream and salt. Mix until there are no lumps. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs, one at a time, mixing for a full minute after each addition. Add the vanilla with the fourth egg and mix for two minutes.

Pour your filling on top of your pre-baked crust and then pour the boiling water into the roasting pan until the water level reaches half way up the side of your spring form pan. Reduce the heat of the oven to 325°F and bake for 1 hour 30 minutes. After the baking time is up, prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon and allow the cheesecake to set in its bathwater for another hour.

Here’s my cheesecake after it came out of the oven…

When lifting your cheesecake out of the water bath, be very careful as a lot of water can get trapped in the foil and you don’t want to have to nurse a nasty little burn. Complete the cooling process by leaving the cheesecake on a wire rack for a couple hours more and then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving; overnight garners the best results.

Serves 10

Will keep tightly covered for 3-4 days.