"Beat New York" Cheesecake

A red and white cheesecake for the fightin' Phils. Philadelphia New York Cheesecake

Back story of how I wound up making a cheese cake with canned cherry filling:

I recently bought a copy of Bon Appetit and there was a full page ad for some 3rd rate Food Network/PBS cooking "Lifestyle Expert" who was hawking the classic kraft Philadelphia cream cheese cheesecake, with a nice pour of canned cherry filling. I think I looked at it, mocked it in my snobby little foodie head, and kept on reading. I almost never buy pre-made fillings or mixes, they taste funny and are just bad for you (exception: pudding mixes - I made a chocolate cornstarch pudding from scratch a few years ago, hours of work? Tasted just like j-e-l-l-o).

But . . . . Somehow on Friday I found myself sort of craving canned cherry pie filling, and cheesecake. So I stepped into the den of premade mixes, compared brands, ingredients (corn products!), sugar counts, and bought a can. Throughout the weekend I thought about returning it. But on Sunday, I went ahead and made the cheesecake, opened the can of filling - and - ate it.

And it was - meh. The cheesecake was actually pretty good, creamy, flavorful (I zested a lemon, good idea), foolproof, my kind of cheesecake. The cherry filling just wasn't that tasty. I was all excited for an illicit fake cherry thrill and I didn't get it. I guess I should have bought that $6 pint of sour cherries from Pete's Produce this summer and made my own filling.

Score one for Michael Pollan.