My first Cheese Cake was a.. “Cream Cheese Pie”…
January 6, 2014 by majaskitchen | Edit
The Warm Cream Cheese Pie
I was working at the Children’s Hospital, Hematology Research Laboratory, as a Medical Technologist in Los Angeles, California…..when Max Fields, a co-technologist came that morning and brought a “Cream Cheese Pie” for all of us to taste. He said he found the recipe in one of the magazines that advertized Philadelphia Cream Cheese. It was 1967. With the first bite of this Cream Cheese Pie….I was hooked. On the way home from work I bought the ingredients and made that delectable dessert to treat my parents with an after dinner desert.
I have made this desert many, many times since…but, the first time I made it my parents asked me to make it on the weekend since we were having dinner guests who were “American” and thought that they would love to see that we are on the way to integrate into American life…You see we had come to the US a few years pryer and most of our friends had been other refugees from Europe. This particular couple had us over to their house and we wanted to reciprocate their kindness by having them come to dinner to our home. The husband was full of praise for my mother’s cooking and could not say enough about the “cream cheese pie” when his wife got terribly upset and jealous and created a scene at the table by accusing him not ever telling her that her dinners were outstanding as well… You can imagine how we felt…and the dinner ended badly and sadly ended our beginning friendship with an American couple. We never saw them again.
Then a few years after that unfortunate experience, I married and we moved to Baltimore, Maryland. Our son was in middle school when we sponsored five Japanese La Cross players. They were the same age as our son and were wonderful young boys. They were to stay with us about a week or so. The second day I asked how they liked the food that they were having at school when they reluctantly told us that they did not like what they were getting at the cafeteria. So I cooked them a big pot of rice….they devoured it in five minutes…then I thawed some chicken soup….which they drank right out of the bowls…and that too was gone in less then five minutes. I told them that I would make some dessert for them after they got their showers.
I got the cream cheese out of the refrigerator…luckily I had some bought graham cracker crusts in the pantry…and whipped up the OLD CREAM CHEESE PIE.
It takes only about 30 to 40 minutes to bake. I was just taking the pies out of the oven when the boys came down to the kitchen all clean and smiling. They were ready for the dessert, and could not wait to have them cooled down.
They ate the pies within minutes and their smiles became even brighter. They loved it….I did mange to get a bite and discovered that it was even more delicious warm than when it is served cold. I also do not add the sour cream topping…my “Cream Cheese Pies” are simple and baked until they are slightly browned and cracked on top.
Two years ago I made them for the….
Annual Garden Club Luncheon!
Here is the original recipe for the….
Cream Cheese Pie
The Graham Cracker Crust
1 cup of Graham Cracker crumbs
3-4 Tbsp Butter – melted
Mix the crackers and butter together
add some Cinnamon to the mixture
Line a 9 inch pie pan with the Graham crackers mixture and bake it approximately 10 minutes at 350 F
Cream Cheese Filling
4- 3 oz packages of Philadelphia Cream Cheese
1/2 cup sugar
Cream mixture until fluffy and smooth
Add 2 eggs – one at a time and mix until well blended
Add 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
Pour this mixture into the baked Graham Cracker crust and bake the pie at 350 F for about 20 minutes
Sour Cram Topping
1 small carton of Sour Cram
add 2 Tbsp of sugar
Mix them thoroughly and spread the mixture on to the pie and bake at 500 F for about 5 minutes
Let the pie cool to room temperature…then cool it completely in the refrigerator over night…and serve it with Cherry pie filling
And here is my version of the…
Cream Cheese Pie!
I usually buy a prepared Graham Cracker Crust in a foil pan at the store….and make the filling with a little more cheese, more eggs and more sugar than the original recipe calls for. Also I do not make the Sour Cream topping….and I serve it still warm with a dusting of powdered sugar. The Cherry pie filling…is intensified with a tsp or so of either rum or brandy….which enhances every bite with an extraordinary flavor and delectable experience.
Cream Cheese Mixture
2 – 8 oz packages of Philadelphia Cream cheese
1 cup of sugar
Cram this mixture together until light and smooth
Add 3 large eggs …one at a time and mix until completely blended
Add 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract
Add 1 tsp of Almond Flavoring
Mix all the ingredients well and pour into a prepared Graham Cracker crust.
Bake in a preheated oven at 350 F….for about 40 minutes or until the top begins to rise and brown and shows several cracks around the edges.
The cracks and puffed top will settle down as the pie cools.
Serve it when it still warm….warmer than room temperature…with a little Cherry Pie filling…that has had some Brandy or Rum added to it…and a dusting of powdered sugar….
Hope you enjoy this desert as much as I do.
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Copyright: Maria Reisz Springer……..
Maja’s Kitchen….
maria@majaskitchen.com
http://www.culinaryhalloffame.com/
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Unauthorized use, distribution, and/or duplication of proprietary material without prior approval is prohibited. If you have any questions or would like permission, I can be contacted via email at: maria@majaskitchen.com Feel free to quote me, just give credit where credit is due, link to the recipe, and please send people to my website, http://www.majaskitchen.com
Dear Maria; this pie sounds delicious and easy to make I’m glad to get the recipe Hope to see you on the 18th at Mercy Ridge Renate
Hi Renate….I will not be with the German Circle ladies on Sept. 18th….I will be out of town…..but, I will be definitely with all of you in October…hope you make that cheese pie by then….I know you will love it…
Glad to see you again. This recipe was passed to me by my mother-in-law who told me it was Tom’s favorite cheesecake recipe. I, to make it as a pie but have never put the cherry pie filling over it. This I will certainly try. So glad to see you again. Hope all is well! Libby
Hi Libby….great seeing you as well….Dale love this cheese cake as well…I think his mother must have made it also….thanks for dropping bye….hugs!
Sounds delicious Maria…thanks for the recipe. Love the story too!!
Maria, your recipe looks better than a similar pie my mother always made to celebrate George Washington’s birthday: http://www.eaglebrand.com/recipes/details/?RecipeId=3994
Hi Sheila……so good to see you…thank you for your comment…I am sure the recipe is the same…that your mother made…it is the stylized photograph…that makes it so un-natural……I do not like the photographs that photographer’s shoot…in their studious…they are paid a lot for food that does not look real….I am happy for their earnings…but they have gone too far…when a roasted chicken is brushed with chocolate and coffee to make it “baked and browned” in the oven…no wonder people do not like to cook…because they cannot produce food the way it looks in cookbooks or on the packages in the grocery stores….Sorry…but this is one of my ” pet beefs”….hope all is well with you….???
I love this recipe as we all love you! 🙂
Hugs,
Pen