In its heyday, Lindy's was one of the most popular restaurants in New York. On busy nights, lines formed outside, but no one minded waiting because the payoff was a piece of Lindy's cheesecake.
In addition to eggs and cream, what's often called "New York cheesecake" has 21/2 pounds of cream cheese and is invariably described as rich and creamy.
According to food historians, cheesecake probably originated in 776 B.C. when it was served to athletes at the Olympic games. It made its way across Europe, where it was made with curd cheeses such as ricotta and cottage, then across the Atlantic with immigrant cooks.
In the late 19th century, a New York dairyman came up with cream cheese by adding cream along with milk to his cheese. From there, it was only a matter of time before blocks of foil-wrapped cream cheese were transformed into cheesecakes.
HONEY CHEESECAKE
2 tablespoons melted butter
q cup finely ground walnuts
1/4 cup vanilla wafer crumbs
11/2 pounds cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup, plus 2 tablespoons, honey, divided
3 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Brush inside of 8- or 9-inch springform pan with melted butter. Mix walnuts and cookie crumbs in small bowl; spread evenly in pan, coating bottom and sides. Beat cream cheese and 3/4 cup honey with a mixer at medium speed until smooth, scraping down bowl's sides occasionally, about 3 minutes.
Beat in eggs one at a time; beat in cream and vanilla. Beat in flour, cinnamon and salt. Pour into crust. Bake about 1 hour and 10 minutes or until lightly browned and a little puffed. Cheesecake will jiggle in the center but will set as it cools.
To keep the cheesecake from cracking, run a knife between the crust and pan a few minutes after removing it from the oven. The cheesecake will cool and condense without sticking to the pan's sides.
Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate.
To serve, drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons honey and garnish with berries, if desired.
Serves 10.
This recipe was prepared by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough.
NUTRITION PER SERVING: 460 calories, 33 grams fat, 8 grams protein, 35 grams carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 320 milligrams sodium.
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