New York-Style Cheesecake with Choice of Toppings: Blueberry, Strawberry, Pineapple

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I debated over which recipe to follow on Foodnetwork, but ultimately ended up with this one b/c I didn't have whipping cream in my fridge for the Alton Brown cheesecake.
I read the other cook's reviews and followed their advice on lengthening the baking time and doubling the graham cracker crumbs - I also added some cinnamon which was tasty as I omitted the citrus zests and doubled the amount of vanilla.
I was a little intimidated at first, lowering my expectations as I'm more of a cook, not a baker, but this cheesecake came out perfect! No cracks, golden on the edges, no sticking and the perfect consistency.
I also allowed it to sit in the oven once I turned the oven off -- just b/c it was more than a little wobbly in the middle.
I think the next time I make a cheesecake, I'll try Alton's just to compare, but if you're looking for a traditional cheesecake, you won't be disappointed.

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Every year for my husband's birthday, it's a tradition for him to get a strawberry chesecake. Usually we just buy one from the Cheesecake Factory, but this year I wanted it to be more special so I decided to make one from scratch. Now, my husband likes his cheesecake to be "so thick that it chokes you" so I knew this was going to be the right recipe since it uses 2.5 lbs of cream cheese. But I cooked it in conjunction to Tyler's Ultimate Cheesecake. I liked the idea of the water bath and I thought that his directions were clearer than Emeril's. I actually doubled the graham cracker crust because I like cheesecake to have crust on the sides as well. I cooked it according to his recipe, 375 for 8 mins. But here is where I used Tyler's directions. I put the cheesecake in a water bath and baked it at 325. I actually used 5 layers of foil to keep the water out. I think that is the trickiest part of this whole recipe. I baked it for 1 hr then turned off the oven and cracked it and let it sit for another hour. I then cooled it on the counter for 30 mins then let it set in the fridge overnight. My cheesecake cooked perfectly with no burning whatsoever. And it came out absolutely delicious!!! My husband LOVED it!! I have to say, I think it was even better than Cheesecake Factory!!!!! But here's my only negative. Even though it cooked perfectly, the middle was still undercooked. I failed to calculate that Emeril's recipe is about twice (meaning the cream cheese in size as Tyler's and I should have cooked it even longer. Next time, I will bake it for 1.5 hours, then let it sit in the oven for 1 hr and then cool for 30 mins and set in fridge overnight. Besides that, THIS will DEFINITELY be the recipe for cheesecake I bake from now on! Thanks Emeril and Tyler!

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...with Modifications! I didn't use the cheesecake recipe (I always use Tyler's Ultimate Cheesecake recipe which is fantastic but I wanted a strawberry sauce to go with the cheesecake so I used Emeril's. First off, I didn't add the alcohol. Second, I found that following the recipe, the consistency of the sauce wasn't right so I made three modifications.

-- First, the strawberries were cooked down almost to mush after 10 minutes. So I added only 3/4 of my strawberries and added the last 1/4 in for texture towards the end with just a little bit of cooking (maybe 2 or 3 minutes. It made it so you could actually SEE strawberries and not just red mush.

-- Second, the sauce was not thickening, so I made a quick slurry (flour and water mixed well together and gradually worked it into the strawberries till I got the right consistency. Cornstarch would also probably work. With the slurry, the sauce came out with a great, thick consistency.

-- Finally, I added in a little vanilla and cinnamon which was a great decision. Loved the added spice and it gave the sauce some warmth and uniqueness.

In the end, I thought the sauce had too much sugar and was a little too sweet (and I certainly have a sweet tooth!. I would consider putting in less sugar next time. Still, all in all, pretty decent with the changes, esp. the cinnamon.

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This is such a great recipe. I looked at so many recipes before I decided to use this one. At first I was skeptical about using the lemon and orange zest but it really does add a great flavor to the cheesecake. Only change I made was using 1 tsp of vanilla instead of half a tsp. The top did turn a little dark but it didn't make a difference once I added the cherry topping (canned. It was a bigger hit than my pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving. This was the first cheesecake I made that didn't crack. Thanks Emeril!!

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Warning!!! Do not eat the entire cake.... LOL. I made this version of the New York styled Cheesecake for my family and it was awesome. I have a few tips that may help you in your baking experience.... Be modest when you butter the pan, dont over butter your pan or else you will burn the crust. You just want to use it as a non sticking agent only! When you are cooking with a regular oven adjust the temperature by 15 degrees. The professionals use convections oven, we at home use standard ovens and the cook time may vary!! Leave the oie in the oven after you turn the stove off for the comtinuation of the cooking process.

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I made this cheesecake for my husband's birthday, and I too was nervous of how it would turn out, but it was amazing!! This is by far the best cheesecake we have ever eaten, and it will be the only one I ever make from now on.

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I am rating this three stars for the reasons stated below. This review may be a tad bit premature as that I have not tasted the cheesecake yet. However, I felt that I needed to write to express some concerns that I had during the cooking process. I cooked the recipe exactly as stated. When I took it out after the hour at 200 degrees, the center was very very very wobbly. I did some research and most recipes seemed to say that the center should be "slightly" wobbly. Therefore, I wasn't concerned and left it out on the counter to cool. As it started cooling I became worried that the center was more than "slightly" wobbly. I was worried that the cake would not be cooked through so I put a toothpick in to see what came out. I did this even though I knew I shouldn't because most recipes say that inserting a toothpick may cause the cake to crack. The consistency that came out was completely liquid. I was very concerned, so I put it back into the oven for an hour and a half more (total time 2.5 hours and the center appeared to get highter and firmer (although still wobbly. This consistency seems to be better and more consistent with "slightly wobbly." I am letting it cool now in the oven which is turned off (half hour. Then I am going to put it on the counter to cool before refrigerating it. Hopefully this will work out as that I am taking it to a party tomorrow afternoon. I will write back to let you know how it works out. If it tastes good, my rating may go up.

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I decided to make this for my husband's uncle since he loves cheesecake. I couldn't have been more disappointed! It cooked fine and it looked beautiful, we waited 24 hours to eat it, but the consistency of the cake was not a good firm cheesecake at all! It is like a pudding cake. Not at all what I was expecting after all the great reviews.

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The BEST cheesecake my husband tasted and It was my first time ever baking a cheesecake!! I was nervous at first when I read through the reviews of some people disagreeing with the oven temps and having burnt cake, etc...but fear not!!! I went exactly by his directions and "BAM'' it turned out great!! Thanks to Emeril for a great cheescake for my husbands birthday!!!

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I have made this cheesecake countless times. Every time, I get compliments.
Recently I have cut out the lemon/orange zest and it takes nothing away from it.
Its a great recipe and I love making it.