Authentic Lindy's Famous New York Cheesecake

Name: Authentic Lindy's Famous New York Cheesecake
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 50 min
Yield: 16 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1/2 cup sugar; 1 lemon, zest of, finely grated; 4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces.; 1 large egg yolk; 1 tablespoon water; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 5 (8 ounce) packages neufchatel cheese, at room temperature; 1 3/4 cups sugar; 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1 orange, zest of, finely grated; 1 lemon, zest of, finely grated; 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract; 5 large eggs; 2 large egg yolks; 1/4 cup heavy cream; 3 cups ripe strawberries, rinsed,patted dry,and stems removed; 3/4 cup sugar; 1/3 cup water; 1 pinch salt; 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch; 2 teaspoons unsalted butter; 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Submitted by Courtly

"This is perhaps the most famous and imitated cheesecake of all. Dense and creamy, it is what has become known as New York-style cheesecake."

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photo by babushkasu1

Ready In:: 1hr 50mins
Ingredients:: 24
Serves:: 16

ingredients

PASTRY
¹⁄₂ cup sugar
1 lemon, zest of, finely grated
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces.
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
FILLING
5 (8 ounce) packages neufchatel cheese, at room temperature
1 ³⁄₄ cups sugar
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¹⁄₄ teaspoon salt
1 orange, zest of, finely grated
1 lemon, zest of, finely grated
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
5 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
¹⁄₄ cup heavy cream
SAUCE
3 cups ripe strawberries, rinsed,patted dry,and stems removed
³⁄₄ cup sugar
¹⁄₃ cup water
1 pinch salt
1 ¹⁄₂ tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

directions

For the pastry, place the sugar and lemon zest in a food processor for 5 seconds.
Add the butter, egg yolk, water, and vanilla and pulse until the mixture looks granular and lumpy; the butter should be in about 1/4-inch pieces.
Add the flour and pulse rapidly 20 to 30 times, stopping occasionally to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, until the mixture almost gathers into a ball.
Turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and press the dough into a 1-inch-thick cake.
Wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Adjust an oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Butter a 9-inch springform pan.
Detach the sides; set aside.
Cut off slightly less than one half of the dough.
Break it into pieces, and scatter them over the springform bottom.
Press firmly and evenly with your fingertips to make a thin layer.
Set the bottom crust in the oven and bake until pale golden brown, about 8 minutes.
Remove from the oven with a wide metal spatula and set on a cooling rack to cool completely.
In- crease the oven temperature to 525 degrees.
Shape the remaining pastry into a square.
Roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle slightly larger than 10x6-inches.
With a large sharp knife, trim away the edges so that the pastry measures 10x6-inches.
Cut the pastry crosswise into five 2-inch strips.
Reassemble the springform pan.
Line the sides of the pan with 4 of the pastry strips, pressing the pieces firmly together where their edges meet and pressing the pastry firmly against the pan so that it will stay in place.
Cut what you need from the last strip to fill in the last gap.
Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
For the filling, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
Add the sugar, flour, salt, zests, and vanilla and beat until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.
Beat in the eggs and yolks one at a time, beating only until thoroughly incorporated, about 15 seconds after each.
Beat for another 30 seconds.
On low speed, beat in the heavy cream.
Scrape the mixture into the pan and smooth the top.
Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 200 degrees and bake for 1 hour longer; the top will be golden brown.
Cool to room temperature on a rack.
Cover loosely and refrigerate for at least 6 hours; overnight is best.
For the strawberry sauce, if the strawberries are small, reserve 1 cup of the prettiest ones.
If they are large, slice enough to make 1 cup.
Set aside.
Place the remaining berries in a medium saucepan and crush with a potato masher.
Add the sugar, water, salt, and cornstarch.
Stir well with a heat- proof rubber spatula, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, or until the sauce is slightly thickened.
Remove from the heat and add the butter, lemon juice, and reserved berries.
Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled.
(The sauce can be made a day ahead.) To serve, run a small sharp knife around the edges of the cake to release the pastry and carefully remove the sides of the pan.
Rinse a knife in hot water, shake off the excess water, and slice.
Serve each portion with a spoonful of the strawberry sauce.
Refrigerate leftovers.

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Reviews

Would any body like the original Recipe?????

Daniel S.
I first made this recipe in 1991 after seeing it in the Chicago Tribune. It is by far the best cheesecake I have ever made and my family agrees. It has become a holiday tradition. There are a couple of differences between my recipe and this one: 1) my recipe calls for only 1/4 c. sugar for the crust and 8 T. of butter. 2) The filling calls for 1/4 tsp. of vanilla or a pinch of vanilly bean pulp and only 3 T. of flour. Either way, this recipe is beyond fabulous! Thanks for posting this. I now have the assurance that if I lose my yellowed, creased copy of this recipe, I can find it here!

Little Tomato
The problem with this recipe is that the temperature are messed up and truly it's confusing for those that do not bake very often. I've been making Lindy's cheesecake since the late 60's. I'm a former New Yorker and as a child when I would go to my dance classes I would pass by Lindy's and Jack Dempsey's restaurant, both made and sold cheese cake. for me Lindy's was better. I grew up wanting that recipe so badly, I would ask around if some one could find out for me. Finally a Betty Crocker cookbook came out spouting that they had it. I suggest that you follow the recipe cuz it hasn't changed in 50 years, but I do suggest that the oven temps are ridiculous. I do mine at 300 to 325 degrees for 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours depending on the oven and I always check by putting a skewer into the center. When you have mastered making cheese cake you can start experimenting by using mascarpone. Instead of all cream cheese make one or two of them mascarpone. It comes out even creamier. Instead of strawberries make a creme brûlée and yes baking is chemistry and mistakes are part of learning. It took me many cakes before I got it down. Mine son the Chef says that I make the best cheese cake ever....but what does he know? I'm his mother.

Milagros L.
,It turned out well because I started the oven set to 500 F for 10 minutes and then reduced the temperature to 250 for 50 minutes. I had no burnt crust, the top of the cake was an even light brown. I also made more dough for the crust since I was using a 10-inch, rather than 9-inch, spring-form pan. Otherwise, I followed the recipe. I'll update later. I'll attach a photo later after it cools and I see if I holds its shape

John F.
This cheesecake is fabulous. I must admit I was a little overwhelmed by the amount of citrus, and would probably cut it down a bit next time, but I loved the addition of the citrus. To this cheesecake I added a brownie layer to the bottom using your maida heatter's brownie recipe. Fabulous! Simply fabulous :) Thank you!

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