Know Your Cheesecakes - A Guide

Cheesecakes; you can go to great lengths to make them or you can take short cuts, but if you are a good cook you will be able to make the quick cheesecake every bit as tasty as the ones that take a lot of time.nnTo learn how to create your own Cheesecake, I advise that you visit the VideoJug website where they have a great film, presented by a professional chef, showing you step by step How To Make An American Cheesecake, which you can use as a base to give your own special twist to.nnIndeed, there are many different kinds of cheese cakes on the market today, and each one has its own unique ingredient that sets it apart from others. nnTrue cheesecake lovers learn to appreciate the differences in cheesecakes and come to love the individual great taste of each one that is well made. nnSome countries and several cities in the United States make a cheesecake it calls its own. The Cheesecakes made in the United States are the ones we have become accustomed to. Some familiar examples are: nnChicago's cheesecake which uses cream cheese and produces a firm but creamy and delicious cheesecake. nnThe Pennsylvania Dutch-style cheesecake is made with pot or farmer cheese which makes it wholesome as well as tasty. When baked this cheese cake creates its own space for you to add fruit by sinking in the middle while cooling. nnPhiladelphia-style cheesecake is reputed to be lighter in texture and creamier than the New York cheesecake but its ingredients and the process that makes it this way is a well guarded secret. nnIt is said that New York Style cheesecake is the best cheesecake money can buy and there are those who go to great lengths to purchase this delight, even using mail order if they can't go to New York for it. Beware that although some restaurants import what they say is New York Cheesecake and advertise it as being from New York, not all 'New York' cheesecakes are created equal and a true cheesecake lover can tell the difference between the real NYC (New York Cheesecake) and a knockoff. nnOn the other hand, Cheesecakes from other countries will challenge the palate. The Germans make a cheesecake that is not baked but uses cream and quark cheese. The Canadians use Maple syrup, while the French make a very light cheesecake with gelatin and Neufchatel cheese. The one that challenges the taste buds the most is the Roman Style cheesecake, which contains flour, honey, a cheese similar to ricotta, and bay leaves. These ingredients are mixed and rolled into loaves like bread then baked, but this Old World favorite is seldom baked today because it has been replaced by an Italian version which uses sugar instead of honey, ricotta or mascarpone cheese, adds vanilla extract to the mix and small bits of candied fruit, and omits the bay leaves.