Listening to a recorded radio broadcast of Dragnet from the 50s, one of the characters is baking a

H

heather_in_sf

Well-known member
cheesecake. He made a crust with a rolling pin, then baked it at 350 for 25 minutes. So curious, right? Sounds more like a custard tart than the cheesecake we know of today. I'm going to check my Granny'sledger book of recipes to see if she has anything similar, most of her recipes were written by her between the 30s and 40s. Have anyone heard of a cheesecake like this? It's fun to chase a bit of history, see if it's fact or history.

 
Heather, look at my rhubarb cheesecake pie recipe above. . .

Cheese cakes are basically a really thick custard; the egg that is (usually) in them keeps them from weeping, and makes them slice-able.

 
It's the short baking time too that is intriguing. It must be quite shallow.

Dragnet is set in Los Angeles and this was during the war but they don't say when the crime was committed.

 
Saveur is missing a step in Lindy's New York Cheesecake...

The crust is patted on the bottom of a springform pan then baked for 15 minutes. The remainder of the dough is patted on the sides then the ring is attached to the bottom, filled and baked.

 
mistral's rhubarb cheescake uses half a pound of cream cheese, Lindy's uses two and a half pounds.

 
The bigger/deeper the pie/cake, the longer the cook time? more . . .

could very well have been a tart of sorts. Shallow, with a crust--I would think it would cook quicker. I mean, you can set up a sour cream topping on a cheesecake in 5 minutes or so as it is thin and goes onto a hot cheesecake/pie.

 
I don't really consider it a *real* cheesecake unless there's at least 2 pounds of

cream cheese in it. Perhaps because the first slice I ever tasted was tall and thick (with canned cherries, of course) and that set my own personal precedent.

 
Agree with you Mar - mine has 2-1/2 lbs cream cheese...fabulous! >>

Just Cheesecake
Redbook Magazine, March 1984
(with my changes in brackets. cheezz)

Makes 16 servings

Filling:
2-1/2 lbs. cream cheese, at room temperature
1-3/4 cups granulated sugar
3 tbl. Flour (omitted)
5 large eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream (or sour cream)
1 tsp. vanilla
Nut Crust (recipe below)

Filling: heat oven to 275 deg. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and flour with an electric mixer. When smooth, beat in 2 of the eggs, then the other 3. Stir in cream and vanilla. Scrape into the Nut Crust. Hold pan about 3” above counter and let drop - do this 3 or 4 times to break up any large bubbles in the mixture.

To Bake: Place the pan on a square of heavy aluminum foil and wrap foil around sides of pan tightly to prevent water from leaking in. Place the cheesecake pan into a larger pan, then fill larger pan 2” deep with water and put in oven on center rack. This ‘water bath’ helps the cheesecake to cook slowly and evenly and the moisture prevents the top of the cheesecake from cracking. Bake 1-1/2 to 2 hours or until center of cake begins to feel firm to the touch. Remove from oven. Remove foil and place pan of cheesecake on wire rack to cool for about 45 min. Lightly cover cake and place in fridge - ON the wire rack (for circulation), and chill at least 5 hours before serving.

To serve: you can serve the cake plain with a dollop of whipped cream, or decorate it with strawberries.

Nut Crust: Bake 1 cup unblanched nuts for 10-15 minutes at 400 deg., shaking pan several times. They should be lightly toasted. Cool about 10 minutes then coarsely grind or chop nuts. Melt 2 tbl. butter or margarine in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in ground nuts and 2 tbl. granulated sugar. Press this mixture evenly into the bottom of an oiled, 9” springform pan and place in freezer until ready to use.

 
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