I Never Got Why Cheesecake is a Slang Term for Semi-Naked Ladies.

Happy Labor Day! This recipe has nothing to do with Labor Day, Summer, or Fall! 

Grand Marnier Cheesecake.

Ingredients:
3 LBS Cream Cheese
1 LB White Sugar
8 Whole Eggs
2 Oz Grand Marnier
1 TBSP Lemon Zest
½ CUPS Butter, Melted
2 CUPS Graham Cracker Crumbs

The Process:
1. Mix the Graham Cracker Crumbs and the Butter Together.
2. Press into the bottom of a Round Cake Pan or a Springform Cake Pan.
3. Let the Crust set up for several hours in a refrigerator.
4. Using an Electric Mixer, cream together the Sugar, Zest, and the Cream Cheese.
5. Set the Electric Mixer to Slow. Add the eggs, 1 by 1 to the mix.
6. Stop the Mixer, Scrape the sides using a rubber spatula.
7. Resume Mixing for an other minute. Add the Grand Marnier.
8. Scrape, Repeat as necessary until thoroughly mixed.
9. Add the Cream Cheese Mix to the Graham Cracker Crust
10. Bake at 200 Degrees for an hour, or until the edges of the Cheesecake turn golden-brown, but the center is still white.
11. Chill overnight.
12. Devour.
Alternatively, you can set the cheesecake in a water bath. This will require a longer cooking time, but will help you avoid cracks on top.

Cheesecake is a Baked Custard, a lot like Crème Brulee.

I made this cake as a dessert special once upon a time… I spent a fair amount of time initially trying to get it right. Toying with a cheesecake recipe is a bother - because if you don’t cook it long enough then it doesn’t set up when you chill it, and you basically get a big pile of goop when you try to cut it. Also mixing it can be a pain, you really need to make sure to scrape the sides and don’t rely solely on the mixer. I have seriously messed up on this - my own recipe that I created - several times.

It’s been one of my favorite recipes to make a simple dessert that lots of people are guaranteed to love. It’s especially good for Holidays or Birthdays. I’ve topped it with glazed strawberries, blueberries, and kiwi to make a sort of fruit-tart, powdered sugar, fruit, and chocolate (shavings or ganache) also make decent toppings. I’ve also coated it with sugar and bruleed the top. This recipe works pretty well if you cut out the Grand Marnier and the Lemon Zest as well.

On the topic of Cheesecake:

I could spend a fair amount of time harping on The Cheesecake Factory - and how it’s what soccer moms think is upscale, and how cheesecake has sort of become an example of that in general, and I would be completely 100% right about that. But to be honest there’s not a lot to be said about those sort of chains - and the food they've watered down and mass marketed - that hasn’t already been covered in greater depth and more insight somewhere else. I don’t like them, I don’t think there’s a reason for me to give them any coverage. Also one time they served me a Kobe Burger with Mushrooms but no Cheese. When I asked for cheese they just brought me out a cold slice and were like “here” and I was like “WTF?” But it’s basically Uncle Moe’s Family Feedbag, and I think I’ve made my point sufficiently.

I haven’t got much of a story to go with this recipe, in the end. A girl I really liked once really liked this cheesecake when I gave her a piece. She decided to date some other jerk instead. I don’t really care about that story except as a way to show how much of a winy emo kid I was way back when… But this is one of those desserts that the ladies love. Seriously. I’ve gotten plenty of comments on it. Julie even likes it - and she’s really adamant about not liking cheesecake in most other situations.  Especially the Cheesecake Factory.

I think that’s basically the main thrust of my argument here: I’m better at Cheesecake than the Cheesecake Factory.