This is Alton Brown's Sour Cream Cheesecake recipe combined with a few Crème Brûlée recipes.

• 26 graham cracker squares, crumbled

• 0.83 sticks of butter, melted

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 5 egg yolks and 1.5 egg whites

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

• 2/3 cup heavy cream

• 1 cup sour cream

• 20 oz cream cheese (Neufchâtel or 1/3 fat kind works well)

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/3 cup sugar (for carmelizing)

This recipe takes about 40 minutes to prepare, 2 hours to bake, and 5 or 6 hours in the refrigerator.

I usually make this in a 13"×9" glass pan.

Preheat an oven to 300°F. Brush a little melted butter on the bottom and sides of the cheesecake pan.

In a small bowl, combine the graham crackers, butter, and sugar, and press into bottom of the pan. (Use a flat-bottomed glass cup filled with weights to help with the pressing.) Bake the crust for 10 minutes, and then set aside to cool.

Prepare a water bath for the cheesecake pan. For this you need a pan with tall sides that is large enough to hold your cheesecake pan. Fill it about half-way with water (but not so much that water will spill over the edges when you set the cheesecake pan in). Place this in the oven to preheat.

Combine the eggs, vanilla, and heavy cream, and set aside.

Beat the sour cream for 10 seconds. Add the cream cheese and sugar, and mix on low for about 30 seconds. Turn up to medium, and start to slowly add in the vanilla-egg-cream mixture. When about half of it is incorporated, stop and scrape the edges of the bowl with a spatula. Continue mixing and adding the mixture until the rest of the ingredients are incorporated, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally. Once completely combined, pour into the cooled crust.

Lower the oven temperature to 250°F, and place the cheesecake into your preheated water bath in the oven. Bake for 1 hour, and then turn the oven off. Open the door for 45 seconds to let out some of the heat, and then close the door for one more hour.

Remove the cheesecake from the water bath and place it in the refrigerator for about 6 hours to chill completely.

Just prior to serving, sprinkle sugar onto the cheesecake and carmelize using a torch. (Reference a crème brûlée recipe for more details.) Serve and enjoy!