Sharon Smyth's Melt-in-the-mouth Cheesecake

from the Dark Shadows Celebrity Cookbook

Try combining lots of cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in your Osterizer.  Blend and pour into a spring-form pan and bake.  That's all there is to it. Sharon Smyth's Melt-In-Your-Mouth Cheesecake from the wonderful Dark Shadows Celebrity Cookbook.

It has been a long time since I have made and eaten cheesecakes, and I decided that this simple and delicious recipe would work very well using low-fat ingredients.  I am happy to say that it was a complete success. You will find it easy to put together and no trouble to bake.  A hot water bath is necessary for the cake while it cooks for an hour on a low temperature.  You've got time to watch three of your favorite Dark Shadows episodes before you even have to turn off the oven!  Cheesecakes are interesting and have been prepared for centuries.  The ancient Greeks made versions of them with curds and honey, and they also appeared in Renaissance cookery books.  In more recent history, cheesecakes were enjoyed in England during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries because of the availability of dairy products.  Sharon Smyth's recipe is a simple and old fashioned one that would likely have been on the table at Collinwood in 1795 which means that this is probably where little Sarah Collins had her first bite of it and remembered it ever since.  When you try it, you'll see that it indeed melts in your mouth and is a delectable taste of history besides.