and good! But that wasn't a surprise. I could tell from the pictures it'd be good.:-P Yum, yum. We had this with blueberries on top and it tasted just like slices of blueberry cheesecake we used to get at a small town cafe where we used to live. Only better. (My husband said so so it must be true.)

I couldn't believe that I had made a cheesecake. Its one of those recipes that scared me. I was so proud of myself. It was really yummy. Not too sweet, and just so creamy.

My family is VERY PICKY about their cheesecakes. In fact, we rarely buy cheesecake, as we make our own New York style family recipe. For the 4th of July, I made Tammy's cheesecake pie to the ravings of my family! It was delicious! Perfect consistency, dense texture. I had to adjust the cooking temp and time for our convection oven and have since made another to sell by the slice in our bakery.

I am a picky chef. I have a vision for my recipes, and cheesecake is no different. It needs to be dense and solid when it sets up while remaining moist, it should have a rich tangy flavor, and ideally it should be quick and simple to make.

This recipe meets all those criteria. While I enjoy making fancier cheesecakes (see my Dark Chocolate Cheesecake!) sometimes you want to get back to basics--while not sacrificing any of the robust flavor cheesecakes are known for. This recipe meets that description to a 't'.

Two preperation variations to try. One is to place a small dish of bottled water on the bottom rack of the oven to increase the humidity of the oven. The other is when the cheesecake has finished cooking turn off the oven and open the oven door, but don't remove the cake. Let it sit in the oven for 15 minutes before removing and putting on a cooling rack. Any way you cut it, this recipe is a champ and sure to please the pickiest cheesecake fans.

Please see my review at the end of the recipe. Thanks! ~ Tammy