Blog posts tagged with 'infamous'

Cheesecake hails from New York in modern times, but it turns out it has a history dating back to the 1st Century A.D and the politician Marcus Cato who served it as an offering to the gods at his temple. Later, it was served to the athletes during the first Olympic games in Greece, and then it was introduced in Western Europe by the Roman conquering armies.  

Knowing this bit of history will explain why my absolute favorite cheesecake can be found in Paris in a restaurant located in a small, historic passageway known as The Village Royal (Cité Berryer). For many years before the restaurant opened, I came to this quiet spot to drink tea and enjoy a bit of respite from the bustle of the city. It was like finding a small village in a big city and the fact that it was home to the Royal Guard of Louis XIII-- the Musketeers, definitely added to its charm. Now it has become my cheesecake pilgrimage when in Paris! Once seated at my table, they ask me if I would like to have a cheesecake set aside for my dessert... Perhaps I'm a bit too obvious?

I have asked for the recipe countless times --but alas, they only dribble clues about the ingredients-- the French, they are good at discretion! It seems speculoos cookies are what make the crust so good and that they leave the cake a bit undercooked (the center is runny when you bite into it), the key to its ultimate success.  I hope you travel to the Village Royal-- besides the cheesecake, Chanel and Dior have moved into the Village making it the perfect afternoon outing!  
http://villageroyal.com/?lang=en#!/history
In the spirit of sharing, I give you my recipe and quote the motto of the Three Musketeers:

"All for one and one for all"!
 

CARLA'S CHEESECAKE INSPIRED BY Le Village

Crust:


2- 7 ounce boxes of Speculoos cookies (Trader Joe's)
1 stick (8 Tablespoons) butter, melted
1/2 cup  brown sugar

Cheesecake:

3 large 8 oz. boxes organic  cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup organic sour cream 
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
5 large organic eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Heat oven to 350. Coat bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with butter.

In a food processor, finely crumble the cookies . Process for 1 minute and transfer to a bowl.  Drizzle butter over the mixture, add brown sugar, and use a fork to mix until well moistened. Put crumbs into the pan, spread and press them into an even, lightly packed layer. Bake 10 minutes and remove from oven to cool.

Now preheat the oven to 500 degrees

Beat cream cheese and 1 cup sour cream until fluffy about 3 minutes.  With mixer going, add sugar in a steady stream until well mixed. Whisk together eggs, vanilla and lemon juice and add to cream cheese mixture. Beat until very smooth. Pour it over the crust and smooth the top. Bake for 10 minutes at 500 degrees,  then lower the temperature to 200 degrees and bake for another 1 hour and 15 min.

Remove from oven and cool.  While cooling, mix 2 cups sour cream with 1/4 cup sugar (add more sugar if you like it sweet).  When the cake is cool, spread the sour cream mixture over the top (like icing) and place in fridge.  Cover and let it sit for at least 4 hours in fridge. When ready to serve, slide a knife around the outer edge of cake in the pan and then remove the side of the springform pan.  Enjoy!

xx Carla