Happy Birthday, Matt!

Recipe

New York Style Cheesecake

For Mr. Matt's birthday a couple months ago, he told me he wanted cheesecake. "What kind of cheesecake?" I asked, "Chocolate? Caramel? Strawberry? Lemon? Snickers?" "Um... just regular cheesecake," he told me. I was mildly disappointed by this, thinking there is no fun to be had with plain cheesecake when there are so many interesting cheesecake recipes out there, just waiting for me to try them (you see, birthday treat day at work isn't only about the birthday person - I have an unflattering habit of making it a bit about my own preferences as well). Turns out I was wrong, though - there is great fun to be had with plain cheesecake...if you're planning to use this amazing recipe. The uniquely high oven temperature results in a golden exterior with an incredibly creamy interior: this is traditional New York-style cheesecake at its absolute finest. A tall, rich cheesecake with just a hint of lemon and a high, buttery shortbread crust that melts in your mouth - quite frankly, it's the best plain cheesecake I've ever had...and I've had a lot of cheesecake, so I consider myself highly qualified to judge such a thing.

Mr. Matt is one of our preschool teachers that has recently joined the center, and he's absolutely fabulous. Naturally patient, funny, and professional, the kids adore and respect him, and I couldn't be more thrilled that he's a part of our team...I'd happily make him a plain old cheesecake any day of the week. Happy birthday, Matt!