Story of a Cheesecake

I had a large carton of ricotta, a rectangle of cream cheese, and a can of pumpkin puree, so I went exploring for recipes that called for those. I ran across one that sounded perfect, a recipe by Nancy Silverton, a chef I have long time appreciated, who started La Brea Bakery as well as the Campanile restaurant and Pizzeria Mozza. Those are big achievements in the U.S. cooking world, and besides, I've liked the bakery goodies. Here's the recipe link:
http://www.food.com/recipe/campanile-pumpkin-ricotta-cheesecake-112363

It wasn't at all hard to make. I even had a good pan for it, the kind you can push the bottom to get the cake out. The hard part was not opening the oven at all for two hours of cooking and an hour more of the cake's cooling down in the oven.

I should preface this next part by saying I never baked a cheesecake before, and only eat a slice something like every eight years... but I've always liked them.

So, I take the cake out and let it cool some more on my countertop. Time lolls by.
I push the pan bottom circle up and put the cake with circle on the counter. A little stays in the pan grooves and I can't tell if it's done (it's a cheesecake, should it be all solid?, I think). It seems mushy at the bottom. I try removing the circle with a sharp wide long knife, mushorama, so I left the circle.

I figure out how to put it back in the pan, putting my arm through the hole of the pan bottom, somehow picking up the circle and cake without having the cake slump off, and get it back in pan. Turn on oven again, set temperature higher, and cook for another 45 minutes. It might be a matter of high altitude needs for higher temperatures, but that usually doesn't affect my cooking, and if it does at all, not by much. But re a low temp cooking of cheesecake, it probably seriously matters.

My day is going by. I take it out, cool it another 45 minutes. Remove via raising the circle again. Put cake and circle on counter, flip the cake onto a big plate, try to get the circle off and while the cake is more done, not done enough to not have the top (originally the bottom) have peaks. I pat the peaks down, pat the whole thing together better, and put it in the oven again, the more solid top down on the baking stone. When it seems done enough (when is enough, anyway?), I take it out and flip it right side up on a big plate. Cool it.
Slice it. Still a bit mushy poo but sturdier. Enough already. Meantime I tasted a bit of it - nothing special, actually disappointing taste.

I set out a bunch of foil squares. Put the dreadful slices on them and wrap them and put them in the freezer, with the idea I may throw those out tomorrow.

Tomorrow comes, I decide to check out the cheesecake, and it's naturally frozen rather solid and as packed, a bit bloblike. I try it anyway, sort of like biting into one of those old time chocolate fudgsicles, re texture.

Damn, that's good. Tastes wonderful. I can't believe how good. Crikey, as Msolga would say.

I may have to do this again on purpose.


Note - in the meantime I've looked up some cheesecake recipes and they say to refrigerate in the pan four hours after cooking. This recipe said serve hot.
I like it as pumpkin fudgsicles. But I'll try it again with a higher temperature at Albuquerque's altitude. . . . after I gather up some more patience.


So, do you make cheesecake?