Chocolate Cheesecake With Graham Cracker Crunch

It’s worth tasting a few brands of graham crackers to find one you particularly like — preferably one with whole-wheat flour and a good dash of salt and honey or molasses. Try a health-food store or Whole Foods for organic and low-sugar brands. (Graham flour was devised in the 19th century as a healthful alternative to white flour.) Fresh, fluffy cream cheese with a minimum of fillers and stabilizers is also worth seeking out for this recipe. This recipe works fine with supermarket cream cheese and graham cracker crumbs (or dark chocolate cookie crumbs) in the crust, but the filling must be made with top-quality chocolate to get the full effect: milky cream cheese, tangy sour cream and the slight bitterness of chocolate playing against the sweet crunch of the crust. That’s how it’s been made since 1984 at the Saltry restaurant in Halibut Cove, off the southern Alaska coast. All of the ingredients (as well as the equipment, furniture, staff and customers) arrive by boat — except for the magnificent salmon, oysters, halibut, cod and mussels that are caught or harvested nearby.

Ingredients

• 2 cups/170 grams graham cracker crumbs
• ½ cup/100 grams light brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons/50 grams (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• 1 cup/250 milliliters sour cream
• 8 ounces/250 grams best-quality semisweet chocolate, preferably Callebaut, broken into pieces
• 1 ½ pounds/700 grams cream cheese
• 1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar
• 3 eggs

To finish:

• 3 or 4 graham crackers
• 2 tablespoons/25 grams unsalted butter
• Chocolate ganache (optional; see recipe)

• Nutritional Information

  • Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)

    560 calories; 39 grams fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 49 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 39 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 132 milligrams cholesterol; 349 milligrams sodium

  Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.
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12 servings

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 250 degrees. Line a 9- or 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar and melted butter, and use fingers to mix well. Press firmly into prepared pan, evenly covering the bottom and about 1/2 inch up the sides. Refrigerate until ready to bake.
3. In a microwave or the top of a double boiler, heat sour cream and chocolate together just until chocolate is melted. Mix until smooth.
4. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar together until smooth and fluffy, at least 2 minutes. Mix in eggs one at a time. At low speed, gradually pour in chocolate mixture and mix until smooth.
5. Pour filling over the crust in the pan and bake about 1 1/2 hours, until top is set and dry but still jiggles in the center when you shake the pan.
6. Set aside to cool and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 2 days.
7. For garnish, place graham crackers in a thick sealable plastic bag and crush, using your hands or a pot, into irregular crumbs. In a small skillet, melt butter until it foams. Add crumbs and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted and fragrant.
8. When ready to serve, gently remove sides of springform pan. Serve chilled cheesecake in slices, sprinkled with crumbs and drizzled with chocolate ganache (if using).

2 hours