Authentic Lindy's Famous New York Cheesecake

Total Time: 1 hr 50 mins Preparation Time: 40 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 16
• 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

Recipe

• 1 for the pastry, place the sugar and lemon zest in a food processor for 5 seconds.
• 2 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.
• 3 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.
• 4 turn the dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap and press the dough into a 1-inch-thick cake.
• 5 wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• 6 adjust an oven rack to the lower third position and preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• 7 butter a 9-inch springform pan.
• 8 detach the sides; set aside.
• 9 cut off slightly less than one half of the dough.
• 10 break it into pieces, and scatter them over the springform bottom.
• 11 press firmly and evenly with your fingertips to make a thin layer.
• 12 set the bottom crust in the oven and bake until pale golden brown, about 8 minutes.
• 13 remove from the oven with a wide metal spatula and set on a cooling rack to cool completely.
• 14 in- crease the oven temperature to 525 degrees.
• 15 shape the remaining pastry into a square.
• 16 roll it out on a lightly floured surface to a rectangle slightly larger than 10x6-inches.
• 17 with a large sharp knife, trim away the edges so that the pastry measures 10x6-inches.
• 18 cut the pastry crosswise into five 2-inch strips.
• 19 reassemble the springform pan.
• 20 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.
• 21 cut what you need from the last strip to fill in the last gap.
• 22 refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
• 23 for the filling, beat the cream cheese in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
• 24 add the sugar, flour, salt, zests, and vanilla and beat until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.
• 25 beat in the eggs and yolks one at a time, beating only until thoroughly incorporated, about 15 seconds after each.
• 26 beat for another 30 seconds.
• 27 on low speed, beat in the heavy cream.
• 28 scrape the mixture into the pan and smooth the top.
• 29 bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 200 degrees and bake for 1 hour longer; the top will be golden brown.
• 30 cool to room temperature on a rack.
• 31 cover loosely and refrigerate for at least 6 hours; overnight is best.
• 32 for the strawberry sauce, if the strawberries are small, reserve 1 cup of the prettiest ones.
• 33 if they are large, slice enough to make 1 cup.
• 34 set aside.
• 35 place the remaining berries in a medium saucepan and crush with a potato masher.
• 36 add the sugar, water, salt, and cornstarch.
• 37 stir well with a heat- proof rubber spatula, and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
• 38 reduce the heat to low and continue cooking, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes, or until the sauce is slightly thickened.
• 39 remove from the heat and add the butter, lemon juice, and reserved berries.
• 40 cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled.
• 41 (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.
• 42 rinse a knife in hot water, shake off the excess water, and slice.
• 43 serve each portion with a spoonful of the strawberry sauce.
• 44 refrigerate leftovers.