Father P's Cheesecake Recipe

Father P's Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients:
Crust:

1 cup slivered almonds, lightly toasted
2/3 cup graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

Cheesecake:

4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
32 ounces sour cream
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
6 eggs

Directions:
For the crust:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Tightly wrap the outside of a 10-inch diameter spring-form pan with 2 layers of heavy-duty foil. Finely grind the almonds, cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a food processor. Add the butter and process until moist crumbs form. Press the almond mixture onto the bottom of the prepared pan (not on the sides of the pan). Bake the crust until it is set and beginning to brown, about 12 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

For the filling:

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sour cream, and sugar in a large bowl until smooth, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Beat in the vanilla. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.
Pour the cheese mixture over the crust in the pan. Place the spring-form pan in a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the spring-form pan. Bake until the center of the cheesecake moves slightly when the pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour.
Turn off the oven and leave the cheesecake in turned off oven with the door slightly open for and additional 1/2 hour.
Serve cheesecake with blue berries or cherries.