I've always liked cheesecake and for a long time, I was intimidated to attempt making it at home. The whole business with a bain marie, making a crust, baking the filling without cracking, etc... it was all too much! But I have to thank my dad for encouraging me to make it from scratch.

I just started high school and my younger siblings were still in grade school. It would be a random weekend night and while my mom was off working, my dad treated us to a night out. My dad used to make it a regular outing to take us all out to Baker's Square at least once a month. We would indulge in a sampler of appetizers and end our meal with a slice of their famous pies. But not my dad - he'd always order their plain cheesecake, sometimes topped with strawberries. It was his favorite 'American' dessert because he loved the creamy texture and how it wasn't too sugary sweet.

One day my dad asked me if I could make a cheesecake. I took his request and went to work finding a recipe I could try out. I finally found one from of those flimsy cookbook mini-magazines featuring Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk. I followed the recipe exactly and bingo! It was exactly what my dad was looking for and he said it was even better than the cheesecake at Baker's Square. Ever since I learned how to make cheesecake at home, our outings to Baker's Square stopped. Now, my dad's most requested dessert is that specific cheesecake!

It's been awhile since I've made my dad a cheesecake so I hope to make Dorie's chocolate cheesecake recipe again for him. What's delicious about this recipe is that it's not overly sweet. In fact, the filling alone only uses 1/2 of sugar! The texture is smooth and silky without being overly rich. Even better is that the filling took no time at all to whip up in a food processor. I did cheat by using a store bought graham cracker crust (in the interest of time and convenience) but nonetheless, the cheesecake was a perfect way to end our dinner with friends.