“It’s easy to make both too much and not enough of Junior’s,” wrote Arthur Schwartz in his “opinionated history” titled “New York City Food” (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, 2004). He was referring, of course, to the New York restaurant that became internationally famous for what Schwartz calls “one of New York City’s purest pleasures” — cheesecake. In fact, some people might be surprised to learn that Junior’s is, in fact, a full-service family restaurant in Brooklyn — serving hamburgers, pastrami, doughnuts, you name it — and not “just” a cheesecake bakery.
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The best things about cheesecakes are that they can be made ahead of time, people go wild for them and they feed a crowd. This gives you maximum return on your efforts, which is what all of us who slave in the kitchen are after. The recipe for the pretty, fruit-topped cheesecake tart, below, is perfect for graduations, bridal showers and other late-spring celebrations. The filling is identical to Junior’s signature “Original New York Cheesecake” recipe, only the tart uses less of it. The “original” also has a sponge-cake crust (a Junior’s innovation), while the tart uses a buttery pastry crust.
JUNIOR’S CHEESECAKE TART
For the crust:
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 extra-large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the filling:
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese (full-fat only) at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 extra-large egg
1/2 cup heavy or whipping cream
For baking:
hot (not boiling) water
For the topping:
1 pint ripe strawberries
1 pint fresh blackberries
1 half-pint fresh raspberries
fresh mint leaves
Make the crust: Generously butter the bottom and sides of an 11- or 12-inch tart pan (preferably a nonstick one) that has a removable bottom and fluted sides at least 1 inch high. Wrap the outside with aluminum foil, covering the bottom and all the way up the sides of the pan.
In a medium bowl, mix the flour and salt together.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer set on high. Add the yolk and vanilla and beat until creamy. Reduce speed to low and mix in the flour just until it disappears and a dough forms. Work the dough with your hands until it all comes together in a ball. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Flour your hands, and put the dough in the center of the prepared pan. Using the heels of your hands, press the dough into the bottom of the pan and up the sides. Work in a circular motion from the center out to the edge and try to achieve an even thickness. Prick the crust in several places with the tines of a fork to ensure even baking. Roll a rolling pin gently across the top of the tart pan. Excess dough will fall away, giving the baked shell sharp, clean, “professional” edges.
Bake just until the crust sets and turns golden (do not overbake), about 10 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool. After a few minutes, gently pat down any bubbles. Allow to cool as you make the filling. Leave the oven on.
Put 1 package cream cheese, 1/3 cup sugar and all the cornstarch into a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer set on low until creamy, about 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times. Beat in the remaining package of cream cheese. Increase the speed to medium and beat in the remaining 1/3 cup sugar, then the vanilla. Blend in the egg, then the cream, beating just until completely blended. Be careful not to overmix. Spoon gently into the tart shell.
Place the tart in a large, shallow pan, and fill the pan with hot water to a depth of 1/2 inch (halfway up the side of the pan — no higher). Bake until the center is set and light gold, about 30 minutes. Remove from the water bath, transfer to a wire rack and let cool for 2 hours. (Don’t move it.) Leave the tart in the pan, cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until completely cold, at least 4 hours or (preferably) overnight.
To decorate: Remove the ring of the pan and place the tart on a serving plate. Wash and dry the berries on paper towels (very important). Pick out 12 strawberries of similar size. Hull them and cut them in half vertically from tip to tip. Halve the blackberries in the same way. Arrange the strawberries in a circle around the edge of the tart with the tips pointing out. Follow with two inner circles of blackberries, angling them and resting the tips on adjacent berries so they stand up slightly. Pile a cluster of raspberries in the center, with the tips pointing up. Top with a few mint leaves. Save remaining berries and mint for another use. Refrigerate the tart until ready to serve.
Yield: 1 tart, or at least 10 servings
Recipe from “Junior’s Cheesecake Cookbook” by Alan Rosen and Beth Allen (Taunton Press, 2007)
GRILLING RECIPE CONTEST REMINDER: To enter, submit your own original recipe for a Grilled Main Course, your name, postal mail and e-mail addresses and phone number to: grillcontest@gmail.com. Recipes submitted must: 1) be original (not previously published in any medium); 2) be received by midnight, Eastern Daylight Time, June 15, 2008; 3) consist of a recipe for a grilled main-course dish that can be done on an outdoor gas or charcoal grill; 4) specify method of grilling (direct or indirect) and level of heat (low, medium, etc.); and 5) serve four to six people. The first-place winner will have his or her recipe published, with his or her name, hometown and a brief personal interview, in this column. In addition, second- or third-place winners may be selected and published, as space permits. Winners will be judged on the basis of taste, appearance, creativity and ease of preparation. Each of these criteria will be weighted equally.
Marialisa Calta is the author of “Barbarians at the Plate: Taming and Feeding the American Family” (Perigee, 2005). For more information, go to www.marialisacalta.com.
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