Cheesecake Extraordinaire: More Than 100 Versions of the Ultimate Dessert

I have got to say that this is definitely the best cheesecake book ever. Initially, I was shopping around for one since my boyfriend's favorite dessert was cheesecake. I ran across this and decided to get it. Well, one of the best choices I could ever make, I think. This is an amazing book! Starting from the recipes which are so numerous and so varied that they have to be divided into beverage-based, chocolate, vanilla, candy, etc., even one for light cheesecakes! Honestly, deciding which one to try the first time around was the toughest challenge when starting out. Well, I followed the instructions clearly, as well as the first section on tips to avoid it cracking and boy, did it ever come out wonderfully! I never looked back. I've baked from it endlessly for some years now, tasting practically all of the recipes included. It's gotten to the point where I may soemtimes tweak the recipe and/or ingredients a bit and it still comes out great! My family has enjoyed all sorts of different flavors and many of my family members and friends have converted and use nothing but this to bake cheesecakes also. My copy is so beat-up from use, it may be time to get a new one. Did I mention that this is also a beautiful book? Full of wonderful (yummy-looking) glossy pictures. My only (tiny) complaint is that on occasion, some of the ingredients may be a little hard to get but nothing too major and definitely nothing's that stopped me yet. I do have other cheesecake books which people have given me over the years but due to simplicity, astounding variety and plain old wonderful results, this is the one I recommend the most.

The recipes in this book are wonderful! I've made the mocha cheesecake at least a dozen times, and it's a huge hit every time. I made it for Thanksgiving, and my in-laws loved it so much, they requested it for Christmas! I also adapted another recipe to try something different, and it tasted like heaven. The book has excellent tips, including a conversion chart if you want to bake your cheesecake in a size other than the 9" size used for all of the recipes. This is a fantastic book! Buy it new, used, whatever format you can get it in. Trust me!!! Update 1/10/07: I have continued to make different recipes from this book on a regular basis, all to rave reviews. I am now expected to bring a cheesecake to all neighborhood gatherings, and no one else will make one because they want mine! I've adapted some of the recipes and have created my own based on the highly useful tips in this book (and by comparing ingredients from the various recipes), and they turn out perfectly. I've bought a few other cheesecake recipe books, but always turn to this one when I want to try something new, or when I want to work on an original recipe and figure out the right balance of ingredients. I am always asked when I make a cheesecake from this book if I'm going to start selling cheesecakes (the answer is yes!).

Mary Crownover takes the mystery out of baking delicious homemade cheesecakes. There are many cheesecakes presented in this book - some that you would make for friends, some for formal dinners, some you would hide away to save for yourself (I'm guilty of that), and there's even a "guilt-free" cheesecake section for those watching their waistline. You will find something in this book that will cater to everyone's tastes. Crownover takes the reader step by step through the cheesecake "making and baking" process, and even gives tips on making your own "cheesecake" masterpiece.Some cookbooks are dry, some are too chatty, others don't give enough attention to details. Cheesecake Extraordinaire is a balanced cookbook that avoids those common pitfalls, and can make almost anyone a great cheesecake baker. The photographs are beautifully presented. The only problem I see is that the photographs are so wonderful, one can gain pounds just looking at them!After making most of the cheesecakes out of this book, I have yet to purchase a "store bought" cheesecake. With Crownover's aid I have discovered that making a tasty, attractive cheesecake is not very hard at all. The downside is, when my friends come over, they expect cheesecake. The good thing is, I usually have one in the refrigerator or in the freezer (and when she claims her cheesecakes "freeze beautifully", she is telling the absolute truth). My personal favorites include her Butter Rum (to me it tastes exactly like the Butter Rum Lifesavers), the Grasshopper, the Caramel Chocolate Chunk, the Mai Tai, and the German chocolate cheesecakes.No more excuses for not trying "cheesecake cookery", folks. This book makes it almost TOO easy to become a homemade cheesecake addict!

I can't tell you how grateful I am to have found this book. I decided that I wanted to make cheesecakes for my wedding instead of paying some bakery $2,000+ to do it. I picked three recipes and made 4 cakes of each (120 people), for a total cost of about $300. The book made recipe conversions and pan sizing a snap. And the best part - everyone raved, and thought that they had been professionally made!! There was a small-scale war on during the reception as to which cheesecake was the best one. By far, this book is one of the reasons our wedding came off as one of the best that people had attended. Thanks Mary Crownover!!

This is an amazing selection of over a 100 standard and non-traditional cheesecake recipes. The recipes are divided into categories: beverage-based, candy & cookie, caramel, chocolate, coconut, custard and spice, fruit, mint, nut, peanut butter, vanilla, and guild-free cheesecakes. I and many others have enjoyed the numerous cheesecakes I've baked using recipes from this book.