About Arthur:  The New York Times Magazine called Arthur Schwartz “a walking Google of food and restaurant knowledge.” As the restaurant critic and executive food editor of the New York Daily News, which he was for 18 years, he was called The Schwartz Who Ate New York.  Nowadays, he is best known as The Food Maven, the name of his website. Whatever the sobriquet, he is acknowledged as one of the country’s foremost experts on food, cooking, culinary history, restaurants, and restaurant history.

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Cheesecake
Makes about 12 servings 

This has to be the easiest and most foolproof cheesecake recipe in existence. It is all mixed in one bowl. It makes a very light but rich New York-style cake.

4 8-ounce tubs whipped cream cheese

1 pint sour cream

1/4 pound butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon lemon juice

5 eggs

     Into a large mixing bowl, empty the tubs of cream cheese and the container of sour cream. Do not mix.

   Place the butter and sugar in the bowl, then sift the cornstarch into the bowl and sprinkle on the vanilla and lemon juice. Allow all the ingredients to stand, unmixed, until they reach room temperature.

   With an electric mixer, beat all the ingredients together until mixed well. There will still be some lumps.

   Beat eggs into mixture one at a time, mixing well after each addition. After all the eggs have been added, the mixture should be perfectly smooth.

   Pour batter into a buttered, 10-inch springform pan. Place the springform into a larger roasting pan and half fill the large pan with hot water.

   Bake in a 375-degree oven for one hour. Remove from the oven. Let cool in the water bath for 20 minutes, then remove and cool to room temperature in the springform. After cooling, refrigerate at least three hours before serving, but remove the cake from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before serving to take off the chill. The cake may be garnished with fruit as desired.

    Variations:

   You may alter the flavoring by using 1/4 teaspoon almond extract instead of vanilla, or 3 tablespoons dark rum, or flavored liqueur instead of the extract. The cake has no crust, but you may sprinkle the buttered springform pan with ground or finely chopped nuts, or fine dry breadcrumbs or cake crumbs.