What is Cheesecake?
Cheesecake is a rich and creamy round shaped dessert, made primarily from cream cheese, eggs and sugar. These ingredients are mixed together thoroughly and traditionally baked in a graham cracker crust. The texture of cheese cake is creamy and slightly dense with a form that holds together. There are many varieties of cheesecake including chocolate and strawberry and the flavor of crust varies. NY cheesecake is a popular and has a plain sweet filling with a graham cracker crust and is slightly richer than regular.
Ingredients
Cream cheese is a popular American dairy product. It is a fresh cheese with a mild flavor that can be slightly tangy. It has a high fat content, as it is made from cream and milk. Cream cheese is white and has a thick and spreadable consistency. It is served on bread, bagels and other baked goods and is popular in desserts and dips.
Sugar comes from sugar cane and sugar beets. The sugar is extracted from the juice of both plants and refined into the granulated substance known as sugar. Sucrose, the sweet substance of sugar is a combination of glucose and fructose. White sugar is composed of tiny white, dry granules. The flavor is sweet and neutral. Brown sugar is brown and has more moisture, with a richer flavor that hints at molasses. Sugar is used in both sweet and savory foods.
Water is a substance and chemical compound made up of hydrogen and oxygen. It is clear, fluid, flavorless and odorless. Water is a necessity in nearly every aspect of life, including cooking, baking and hydrating the human body. Water can be served as a cold beverage, or at any temperature comfortable to the mouth and skin.
Graham crackers are a sweet cracker and popular snack for children. They are made of wheat flour and oil, and are sweetened with sugar, and cinnamon. Some graham crackers are sweetened with honey and sugar. The cracker is a warm tan color with perforated lines, where you can easily break the cracker into smaller strips. Each cracker has small indented dots in the top and a texture that is dry, light and crunchy. The flavor is sweet, with hints of cinnamon and the nuttiness of wheat.
Sour cream is a dairy product made by fermenting cream with lactic acid bacteria. The healthy bacteria thickens the cream, resulting in a thick and creamy product with a white color. Sour cream is thicker than yogurt and has a tangy flavor that is milky and mild. It is used as a condiment and as an ingredient in dips, cakes and more.
Eggs are an incredibly versatile protein and binder. Most eggs used in cooking come from hens and are usually unfertilized. Eggs are oval shaped and roughly 53 mm in length and 40 mm in width. Eggs have a hard, but thin and delicate shell that is brown or white and occasionally green. Inside is the clear and glossy white, with a slimy texture and in the center is the yellow opaque, round shaped yolk. Once cooked, the whites become opaque. Eggs can be scrambled, fried, boiled, and more. They are used in desserts and baked goods as a binder. Egg is also used as a wash to glaze items or dip meat into before breading it. The flavor is mild and sulfurous. It has many uses.
Margarine is a non dairy imitation butter spread. It is made from vegetable oils and has the same consistency of butter. Margarine is a combination of vegetable oil, water and may contain a small amount of milk. The fat content of margarine varies, but often it must have a minimum of 80% fat to be considered a margarine spread. The spread is cream colored and has a buttery taste. Margarine is used in exactly the same way butter would be used.
Cornstarch is obtained from the endosperm of the corn kernel. This is the main body and juicy part of the kernel. Cornstarch is a fine, white powder with a squeaky texture and neutral flavor. It is used in many foods, particularly in America. Cornstarch makes an easy thickener for liquids, such as sauces and an excellent binding agent for baked goods. In the 1800's cornstarch was used for starching laundry, making the clothing appear stiff and professional.
Raspberry jam is made from the raspberry. Raspberries are small and less than an inch in height. The are shaped like a cap with a hollow center. The body of the raspberry is formed of many round druplets with tiny hairs on them. They are a red-pink color and have a juicy and soft texture that is full of tiny seeds. The flavor is tart and has a sweet taste that is fruity and almost floral. These berries are cooked down into a jam with little bits of the berries strewn through the sticky, thick and semi-translucent jam. The jam is red and tastes similar to the fresh berry, but sweeter from the added sugar.
