the hungry expats

For this recipe, I used a classic New York cheesecake recipe, which I had to adapt to the European market, because if Philadelphia cream cheese is now found everywhere on this side of the pond, graham crackers are unheard of on the French riviera (well, in Menton anyway). I replaced them with Speculoos cookies, because their cinnamon-brown sugar flavor works wonderfully with cream cheese. The classic recipe calls for 2 lbs of cream cheese. I used 2/3 of that (600 grams) and reduced the other ingredients accordingly, which explains why the cheesecake doesn't look as high as it normally does (FIY, I used a 9-inch springform cake tin). CHEESECAKE 150 grams of Speculoos cookies (if you use Graham crackers, add sugar) 70 grams of unsalted butter, melted 600 grams of PHILADELPHIA cream cheese 160 grams of white sugar 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour Pinch of salt Zest of 1 lemon 1 teaspoon of lemon juice 2 eggs 160 ml of sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used ...

A word of advice: non-coffee drinkers, don't run away! As my American readers already know, a "coffee cake" does not contain coffee at all (well it can occasionally, but this one doesn't), it only means that it is meant to be enjoyed WITH coffee. I made this one with fresh blueberries (in season now) purchased at the farmers'market in Ventimiglia, Italy. I topped it with a crunchy layer of cinnamon streusel, because really, who doesn't like a delicious crumble on top of their coffee cake? CAKE 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 1 cup white sugar 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I used one vanilla pod instead) 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder pinch of salt 2/3 cup milk (not non-fat) 2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen STREUSEL TOPPING 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon     DIRECTIONS Preheat oven at 350°F (180°C). Butter and flour a 9-inch r...