Sour Cream Cheesecake

So, let's start this off by saying that I don't make cheesecake. My husband (Ricky) makes cheesecake. I have helped make several cheesecakes. I have never made my own because my husband. makes. damn. good. cheesecake. Anyway, so my friend Mel wanted a cheesecake for her birthday. I am not one to turn down a birthday dessert request of really any magnitude (see later the shit show that was my husband's last birthday dessert request), so of course I said I would make a cheesecake. Now, something else you must know- Ricky refuses to give up his cheesecake recipe. I have asked. I have begged. I have offered up sexual favors. Nothing. So, I went to Alton Brown for a recipe. Also, funny story, two weeks later, Ricky asked that I make him a cheesecake for his birthday as well. I'm an adult, so I said yes. Bitterly. No but really, this recipe is still hella delicious and surprisingly less scary than I thought it would be. Well, no, I was scared the first time, but then the second time was easy peasy. Here's the recipe, and I will share any discrepancies along the way!

For the Crust:
33 graham cracker squares, crumbled *I thought this was like 33 rectangles at first. No, folks. 33 squares (2 squares per rectangle). You're welcome, and if you're not an idiot like me, then disregard the side note.
4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp brown sugar *I always use brown sugar in a graham cracker crust. It brings out that caramel flavor more. Alton just used granulated sugar.

1. Preheat oven to 300F. Brush some of the melted butter around a 9 x 3 inch cake pan. Adhere parchment to the bottom. *A couple of things here- yes, this is a cake pan and not a springform pan. I have had the displeasure of a springform pan leaking in the water bath and water-logging my cheesecake (well Ricky's cheesecake), so when I saw Alton use a cake pan, I was like hell yeah. ** I just used some cooking spray for the sides and bottom. *** Alton says to put the parchment on the sides too because he does his crust a little differently. The first time I put parchment on the sides also. The second time, I didn't (I really think I just forgot). It made no difference to me. The bottom is a MUST. Sides, maybe not.
2. In a small bowl, combine crumbled graham crackers, melted butter, and sugar. Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the cake pan. It will reach about 1/2 to 2/3 of the way up the pan. *Alton says to do this: Press 2/3 of the mixture into the bottom of the parchment lined pan. Place remaining crumbs on a sheet pan and bake both the crust and remaining crumbs for 10 minutes. Reserve additional crumb mixture for sides. I didn't do this shit, as you can see in the picture. I couldn't be bothered. **If you're doing it Alton's way, you should probably definitely parchment the sides of your pan.

For the Filling:
20 oz cream cheese, room temperature
1 1/4 c sour cream
1 c sugar
1 tbsp vanilla extract
2 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
1/3 c heavy cream
*I also used the zest of an orange and zest of half a lemon because I think it makes it zippy.

1. In a mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and sugar for about 30 seconds. Add the sour cream and mix on low for about 30 seconds. Scrape the bowl. * Alton says to beat sour cream for 10 seconds to lubricate the bowl, and THEN add the cream cheese and sugar and mix on low for 30 seconds, and then turn up to medium. Scrape the bowl. I tried it this way the first time, and my cheesecake was a little lumpy. I feel like you need that extra friction of the bowl with the cream cheese. The second time, I did cream cheese first with sugar, and THEN added the sour cream. This worked out much better for me- no lumps.
2. In a separate container, combine eggs, yolks, heavy cream, and vanilla extract (and zest?).
3. With the mixer on medium, slowly pour half the egg mixture into cream cheese mixture. When half is incorporated, stop and scrape the sides. Continue with the second half. Once completely incorporated, pour into the cooled crust.

Baking: 
1. Lower the oven temperature to 250F. Place cheesecake into a preheated water bath. *You can use any cooking vessel that will fit your cheesecake in it with some room to spare (and is oven safe). **I used a deep dish skillet. I would recommend putting some water into a kettle (or I used my coffee pot) to heat up. Put your cheesecake in the pan IN the oven. Push the cheesecake to one side so you have a bit more leeway if you spill your water. Pour the water into your bigger pan about 2/3 of the way up the outside of the cheesecake. Move the cheesecake back into the center of the water bath.

2. Bake for one hour.
3. Turn off the oven, open the door for one minute, and then CLOSE THE DOOR for one more hour. *Alton says to remove it after the hour and place in the fridge for 6 hours or overnight to chill.
4. I kept my cheesecake in the oven overnight. It still felt a little too wobbly both times I cooked it, so I left it in. **I will say, don't leave it in your water bath overnight though. It will make your crust soggy. So I took it out of the water bath, stuck it back in my warm-ish oven overnight, then popped it in the fridge all the next day before serving.

5. When ready to serve, place the cheesecake pan in a hot water bath for about 15 seconds. Unmold the cake onto a serving dish. *If you did Alton's crust way and not mine, coat the sides with the remaining crust crumble. **The first time, I actually just put the cheesecake on the burner of the stove for about 30 seconds (another video I watched did this). This worked, but it was WAY easier to get out of the pan the second time when I used the water bath. It literally just slid out. Here's a video of me getting it out the first time:

For the Coulis:

This isn't in the recipe, but when you're going to a Tiki party, you make a raspberry coulis.

1 pint raspberries *you can do this with strawberries too, but I didn't like it as much.
2 tbsp sugar *you can add more sugar if you think it needs it.
Zest of half a lemon
Juice of half a lemon *you can also use less if you want, and add a bit of water instead. I like lemon, and I like tangy

1. Put all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Let the sugar dissolve, and break up the berries a bit to help them release their pectin.
2. Once it has thickened some (about 3-5 minutes), taste it. If it needs more sugar or lemon juice, do so now.
3. Sieve the coulis to get rid of the seeds before putting into a container. Allow to cool completely before putting on the lid and storing in the fridge. Serve with the cheesecake.

Ratings (Scale 1 to 5):

Mel's Tiki Party!

Difficulty: 2
Amount of Time: 3 *although this isn't really taking into account the wait time for cooling and setting. Active time is like a 2; Total time is like a 4/5, so 3 it is.
Awesomeness: 5 *I still think my husband's is a little better. I also really liked this cheesecake, but I wish it had a bit less tang and more creamy umami if you will. Can I use umami for dessert? I'm doing it. Maybe next time, less sour cream, more cream cheese. Zest may have also added to the tang, but I don't think I want to do without that lol.

Also, as promised, this was 3 of the 6 layers of the cookie cake cake that Ricky asked for last year for his birthday. As you can see, it failed. At 11:00pm on a Monday night. There were tears and gnashing of teeth.