Dark Chocolate Cheesecake

Crust:
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs
6 Tbsp. butter, melted
1/4 c. granulated sugar

In that you are prebaking the shell, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the crumbs in a mixing bowl and add the butter and sugar. Blend well. Press the crumb mixture onto the bottom and partly up the sides of a greased 9-inch baking dish, pie pan, or spring-form mold. Smooth the crumb mixture along the bottom to an even thickness. Chill the crust for 5 to 10 minutes in the freezer until it is set or bake for 10 minutes in a 350 degrees oven. Cool before filling.

Cheesecake Filling:
5 sq. (5 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate
1 1/2 lb. cream cheese, softened
3/4 c. granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. sour cream

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler (or microwave on low power).  Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese with the sugar until the mixture is smooth and light.  Beat in the eggs and the vanilla. Stir the melted chocolate and the sour cream into the cream cheese mixture and blend well. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn off the heat leave oven door closed) and allow the cake to cool in the oven. Chill.
Cutting The Cake: Here is the best-kept secret of the trade: dental floss. It is just about impossible to cut a cheesecake cleanly with a knife; too much of the precious filling sticks to the sides of the blade. You can lick this problem by taking a long strand of dental floss, stretching it taut and gently pressing it through the cake.  Don't try to puff the floss back up through the cut you have made; simply pull it out when you reach the bottom. Either waxed or unwaxed floss may be used, but do avoid mint-flavored. This method works well on cake with crumb crusts. With harder crust, you may want to finish off with a thin, sharp knife. Recommendation: line the bottom of your spring-form pan with foil. When ready to cut the cake, remove the sides of the pan and lift the cake off of the pan.

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