Sep 08, 2006
I preheated my oven with a pan of water under the rack (rather than the water bath). For the crust, I 1-1/2'd the ingredients so I could reserve half for the topping, since some people said a more streusel-like topping was better looking/tasting. For that, I cut in butter chunks rather than melted it. For the apples, I thinly sliced (less than 1/8 inch) four Galas, then cut them into smaller sections so the cheesecake would be easier to slice (as some recommended). Then I microwaved the apples for one minute (to soften and remove some moisture, as recommended). After tossing with the cinnamon and sugar, I drained the excess moisture from the bowl. For the filling, I decided to increase the ingredient amounts to 1-1/2 times since some people said the original recipe was too thin. Once the crust had cooled, I poured in the filling and then spooned the apples on top. Over that, I sprinkled about a third of the streusel mix and then reserved the rest to add during the last 15 minutes in case it overbrowned (as some people indicated). I baked for 60 minutes, then checked it. The topping had not overbrowned, but I added about another third of it to the cheesecake (it didn't need any more than that) and baked for another 15 minutes (total of 75 minutes). I removed it from the oven and let it cool for approximately 20 minutes before removing the sides of the pan and refrigerating it. My husband said it was "amazing"; PERFECT in texture and flavor. Thank you!
—Hotstuff
