Chronicle of a Cheesecake

I think I can do anything. Seriously, I do. If another human being has ever done it, then I see no reason why I can't do it too.  This line of thinking has been beneficial most of my life, and detrimental on occasion. 

In the case of the cheesecake, it turns out I was right. 

Many years ago, I was visiting with a friend about an annual fundraising event she and her husband had been attending through the years.  It was a dessert auction that raised money for a worthwhile charitable cause. As she told me about the lives that had been changed through this organization, I was moved to help in some way. 

My husband and I weren't able to attend the function and bid on desserts, but I knew I could donate a dessert at the very least.  My friend told me that many different desserts were donated, but the ones that brought the most money were cheesecakes. 
Now, I was not particularly fond of cheesecakes, and certainly had never baked one before, but hey, I could read and follow directions.  I pulled out one of my favorite cookbooks that I knew would have a great recipe in it, and I found just the cheesecake to bake.  It was a chocolate truffle cheesecake. 

Sure enough, I followed those directions to a tee, and baked the most beautiful, delicious cheesecake I had ever tasted! 

Wait a minute!  If I was donating this cheesecake, how did I know it tasted so good you say? 
Well, I also know myself well enough that I was pretty sure I couldn't just make one and donate it without even knowing what it tasted like, so i made two! If the one I donated was anything like the one I kept, then it was truly "to die for" good!
Auction night came, and although I wasn't in attendance, my friend told me my beautiful, luscious chocolate truffle cheesecake sold for $275!!

That was the start of my cheesecake career.  Through the years, I have made more cheesecakes than I can keep track of.  My favorite cheesecakes to make are the ones where I can be creative with their garnishings and decorations, like the pretty red swirls of a strawberry cheesecake, or the beautiful pattern on a tropical cheesecake.  My very least favorite cheesecake to make is plain.  I mean, come on! Plain?  That's so boring!

Since I probably don't have too many followers of my blog, I will let you in on a little secret...the key to baking a perfectly done cheesecake is having mushy thighs.  Yes, you read that correctly.  It's all in the thighs.  You see, when a cheesecake is ready to be taken out of the oven, you have to "bounce" the cake while it's still in the oven, to see how it feels.  If it feels like your mushy thighs, then it's done.  I don't mean the muscular part of your thigh, it's the upper part of your thighs, where your leg almost meets your hiney....I'll give you a minute to check your own thighs, because I know that's what you're doing right now.

Ok, have you got it?

That slightly firm, slightly bouncy feeling is what you're looking for in a perfectly baked cheesecake.  After you pull it out of the oven and let it sit for an hour, it will continue to cook and firm up to the perfectly creamy texture that makes a cheesecake so great.

So there you have it. That's how I started making cheesecakes.  I LOVE to make them now, and unfortunately, I LOVE to eat them, too.  I guess you could say I'm just making sure that I never forget how a cheesecake should feel when it's done.