So the thing about summer is that it’s basically party-time, right?

Like we pretend to be all healthy by stocking up on fresh seasonal produce and forcing ourselves to eat tons of salad in the name of warm weather but at the end of the day we all know we’re going to be drinking countless cocktails and stuffing our face with Deviled Eggs at our friends’ barbecue come the weekend, right?

Right?

Or is it just me?

I fell off the wagon the first day of summer solstice.

Out. Of. Control.

I’ve had way too much fun these past few months and now I will eat kale for the reset of my life. I mean it.

However, cheesecake.

Today I went for a run and as I cooled down (while listening to U2’s “I still haven’t found what I’m looking for” to appease my inner emo) I thought about cheesecake. But not just ANY cheesecake. Aunty Melanie’s cheesecake.

oooooh. tell us more!

What’s unique about this cheesecake is the sour cream topping. Yeah, that’s right. It just makes sense. Cheesecake is rich. Tangy sour cream cuts through the aforementioned richness. That’s a little something I like to refer to as balance.

My Great Aunty Melanie’s cheesecake attended every family party until she passed away. Through her recipe she lives on.

Powerful shit, man.

Now, Marie makes the cheesecake. I eat the cheesecake. WE are sharing the cheesecake.

With you.

XO

P.S. Aunty Melanie refers to the crust as “lining” so I will too. Because it doesn’t get much cuter than that.

Aunty Melanie’s Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Filling:

• cream cheese (16 oz), room temperature
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla

Lining:

• 20 graham crackers
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

Topping:

• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In as stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese & sugar until smooth and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla & salt. Mix until all ingredients are mixed well and free of lumps.
3. Add all of the “lining” ingredients to a food processor and pulse until the graham crackers are the consistency of sand. Add the graham cracker mixture to a 8″ pie plate and press into the plate until  you have formed a crush. Sometimes I like to use the back of a spoon for help.
4. Add the filling mixture & spread out evenly.
5. Bake 20 minutes or until the filling is close to set, but still slightly loose in the center.
6. Remove from oven and spread on the topping, covering the entire surface of the cheesecake.
7. Bake 5 minutes more.
8. Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate, at least one hour.