Red Velvet Cheesecake

Written by Tom Fitzmorris December 24, 2015 10:01 in

RecipeSquare-150x150

Red Velvet Cheesecake

I got this recipe right before Thanksgiving from Chef Jeremy Langlois, who ran the kitchen for a long time at Houmas House Plantation and its restaurant Latil's Landing. It sounded so alarming to me that I am making one for Christmas. Red velvet anything is a dark, intense red color, a fine complement for the poinsettias in the room. The flavor of red velvet, however, is actually chocolate. I'm adding my usual component of orange peel and juice to the mix (Jeremy doesn't have that in here). Otherwise, this is the way it's served at Kevin Kelly's magnificent sugar plantation complex on River Road in Burnside, halfway up the river to Baton Rouge. `
Remember to leave lots of time for cooling the cheesecake. This must be done slowly and gently, or you'll have cracks in the top.
  • Crust:
  • 2 packages graham crackers (out of the standard three in the standard box of graham crackers)
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 6 oz. butter, melted
  • Filling
  • 4 8-oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/2 pint whipping cream
  • 2 Tbs. vanilla
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup orange or satsuma juice
  • Zest (grated peel) of one orange
  • 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 oz. red food coloring
1. Put the cream cheese and the sugar into the bowl of a mixer and blend on medium-slow speed until completely blended and fluffy--about 10 minutes. 2. While that's going on, make the crust. Grind the graham crackers into small crumbs in a food processor. Add the sugar and the butter and process until the butter has soaked all the crumbs. 3. Line the bottom (only--don't go up the sides) of a 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Dump the crust mixture in and press a wedge of crumbs into the bottom corner all the way around. Then make a bottom crust, and finally press the remaining crumbs up the sides of the pan. It is not necessary for the crust to come all the way to the top of the pan. Set aside. 4. Add the sour cream to the mixer bowl. With a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl after this and each other ingredient addition throughout the recipe. 5. Add the eggs, one at a time, allowing them to blend in completely before adding the next one. (Break each egg into a cup first to make sure it's okay before you add it.) 6. Add the cream, vanilla, juices, zest, cocoa, and red food coloring. Mix for another five minutes or so, until no streaks are visible. 7. Pour the filling into the crust. Place the springform pan into a shallow pan (i.e., a pizza pan), and place it in the center of the oven at 350 degrees (no convection). Pour warm water into the bottom pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then lower the heat to 300 degrees. Bake for another hour and fifteen minutes, until you see the cheesecake has just a hint of browning on top. 8. Turn the oven off, but leave the cheesecake inside. After 30 minutes, open the door a crack and let the cheesecake cool in the oven another half-hour. Remove the cheesecake and let it finish cooling on a counter. After another hour, remove the sides of the springform pan and put the cheesecake into the refrigerator. Chill at least six hours before serving. Makes one ten-inch cheesecake; serves twelve to sixteen. [divider type=""]