Food For Thought

Ingredients:
½ cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
Cheesecake-Crust Dough (recipe follows)
7 packages (8-ounces each) cream cheese, at room temperature
2 ¼ cups sugar
1 cup sour cream, room temperature
1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
5 large eggs, room temperature
Unsalted butter, softened, for pan
Boiling water, for roasting pan

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. On a lightly floured surface, roll out cheesecake-crust dough slightly thicker than 1/8 inch. Place the base of a 10-inch springform pan on top as a guide, then cut out the dough. Slide dough onto the base.

2. Attach sides to pan; wrap exterior of pan (including base) in a double layer of foil. Freeze dough in pan 15 minutes.

3. Transfer pan to a baking sheet. Bake dough until golden, about 18 minutes. Transfer pan to a wire rack, and let crust cool. Leave oven on.

4. Put cream cheese in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

5. Stir together sugar and flour in a large bowl. With mixer on low speed, add sugar mixture to bowl in a slow, steady stream; mix until smooth. Add sour cream and vanilla; mix until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing each until just combined (do not overmix).

6. Butter sides of cake pan. Pour cream cheese filling over crust. Set pan inside a large shallow roasting pan. Transfer to oven. Carefully ladle boiling water into roasting pan to reach halfway up sides of cake pan.

7. Bake 45 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 325. Continue to bake until cake is golden and set but still slightly wobbly in center, about 30 minutes more. Turn oven off; leave cake in oven with door slightly ajar, 1 hour.

8. Transfer cake pan to rack; let cake cool completely. Refrigerate, uncovered, 6 hours or overnight. Before unmolding, run a knife around edge of cake.

Cheesecake-Crust Dough

Ingredients:
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
¼ cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ cup all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Put butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; cream on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Mix in egg yolk and vanilla. Add flour and salt; mix just until a dough forms.

2. Shape dough into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day.