Recipe

The bane of cheesecake making is the appearance of cracks. Cracks don't affect the flavor of cheesecakes, but they are frustrating all the same. Here are my three pointers to minimize cracks, and I make no guarantees: Have your cream cheese and your eggs at room temperature, or even a bit warmer than that. Always use your mixer's slowest speed setting. Never set your oven higher than 325F. (Structurally, a cheesecake is closer to a flan than to a cake. You do not want to whip air in it.)

Bull's Eye Cheesecake

• 1 cup Graham Cracker crumbs
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons sugar

Mix the crumbs, the sugar and the melted butter in a bowl, by hand or with a whisk. This is, of course, your crust.

Press the crust on the bottom of an ungreased, unlined 9 or 10 inch spring form pan. Be most careful to pack the crust tightly at the edge  of the bottom piece. That is where your cheesecake might leak.

• 3 8 oz packages of good cream cheese, such as Philadelphia brand
• 4 eggs
• 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate (you may use 2/3 cup Nestlé chips)
• 1/4 cup very strong coffee (1 tablespoon instant coffee or espresso in 1/4 cup hot water)
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat your oven to 325F. or even a bit less if your oven is touchy.

What I do is to submerge my cream cheese and my eggs for a good half hour under very warm water.

In a small metal bowl over simmering water, melt the chocolate with the coffee, then let it cool a bit.

Place the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and one egg in a mixing bowl and mix slowly until very smooth.

Add the three remaining eggs one by one, until smooth.

Pour half of your cheesecake mixture into the chocolate and combine very well.

Now do as I say, more or less:

Pour half of the chocolate batter over the crust.

Pour half of the plain batter steadily over the middle of the chocolate batter

Pour two thirds of the chocolate batter you have left, the same way.

Pour two thirds of the plain batter you have left.

Pour the remaining chocolate batter.

Pour the remaining plain batter.

Now wasn't that fun?

Bake for 45 minutes, then start checking: you want the cheesecake to be set, but not dry. It should spring back when pressed gently, and not wiggle too much when shaken a bit. It will take close to an hour.

Carefully carry the cheesecake to a hot pad on a countertop. Cut around the cheesecake with a sharp paring knife. Allow the cheesecake to rest, sink a bit, and crack if it must.

If it hasn't cracked, you may serve as is, once it is refrigerated.

If it has cracked, use this wonderful topping:

• 2/3 cup sour cream
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix well and spread on the cheesecake, not touching the pan.

Bake for 7 minutes exactly at 375F.

Decorate, if you wish, with chocolate curls.

Refrigerate well before serving.