PUBLIC HOUSE KAHLUA CHEESECAKE

Okay, I know I'm hoggin' the blogspage and all, and after this recipe I promise to quit. BUT. This, my friends, is BIG. BIG NEWS, breaking news, big news indeed. I must share. Thursday's Atlanta paper is the Food Section paper (I look forward to Thursdays a LOT) that just shows you what a nerd I am but that's beside the point AAAAAAAANYWAYsies, I was reading along and lo and beholdin' in the Q and A section a lady (God bless her) asked if there was any way the famous Kahlua Cheesecake from the Public House could be obtained. The Public House was a restaurant in historic Roswell for many many years until it's *sob* closing a few years ago. Gee whiz they had the best elephant garlic and sundried tomato bruschetta in the hemisphere.

WELL.

It turns out that when the Pleasant Peasant (another top notch restaurant here) was purchased several years ago, the buyer also purchased the RIGHTS TO THE PUBLIC HOUSE'S RECIPES!!

We, my friends, could not have made out any better. She may have gotten the Peasant, but WE got the recipe, and FOR FREE!! As I look at it, the ingredients and the amounts, I'm figuring the secret has to be in the directions cauz there's nothing special about the ingredients, in fact they're pretty sparse. Directions though, kinda fussy. But ohhhh hoo ho ho ho. This cheesecake is The Big Cheese of all cheesecakes. As the Pioneer Woman says, Make this. Now. : ^ )

1 1/2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs, or crushed Oreos
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted - if using Oreos, reduce butter to 5 Tablespoons
6 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese
2 1/4 cups granulated sugar
5 eggs
3 egg yolks
1/2 cup Kahlua

Preheat oven to 350. In a small bowl combine the cookie crumbs and melted butter. Press into bottom of a 10" springform. Bake 10 minutes, cool. (Do not try to use a 9" springform. You will certainly fill the bottom of your oven with overflow batter. It really requires the 10" size.)

Heat a large pot of water on stove and keep warm. Select a baking pan that will snugly hold the springform pan; a 12" square or round pan works well. Wrap the bottom and sides of the springform pan in a large piece of heavy aluminum foil. Reduce the oven temperature to 250*.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar and beat well. Beat in eggs and egg yolks one or two at a time, scraping down the sides after each addition. Add the Kahlua and beat until well incorporated. Pour over the crust in the springform pan. Place the springform pan inside the larger pan, place in the oven on the middle rack, and then carefully pour the warm water into the larger pan, 1 inch up side of the springform pan. Bake the cheesecake in the water bath for about 3 hours, until the top is golden and the cheesecake is set. Remove from the water bath and cool in the springform pan on a wire rack for 1 hour; then chill for several hours or overnight. Remove the side of the pan before serving.

Tiedye