SUMMER CHEESECAKE

At least once each summer I HAVE to have a cheesecake---the creamy cold dessert that no one resists. The cheesecake in this post is a combination of many experiments over the years. I love the taste of honey in it--and honey replaces granulated sugar as the main filling sweetener. I pay hommage to the great Joyce Goldstein of San Francisco's Square One restaurant for the honey idea. She was a food innovator without compare. We bonded forever when I discovered her Tartufo al Tre Scalini in her book "Back to Square One: Old World Food in a New World Kitchen." (William Morrow & Co. 1992). The tartufo is a famous Roman ice cream treat named for the fountains of the tre scalini (3 stairways) plaza. I ate one on the spot in 1966 during my first trip to Europe with two dear college friends. We enjoyed this divine taste while dipping our toes in the fountains. Unforgettable!

Cheesecakes are simple---just have the ingredients ready and at room temperature for smooth, lump free mixing, and be patient with cooling the cake in a couple of steps. This dessert must be completely chilled in the refrigerator at least 8 hours or ideally overnight before serving. If not cold, it will slowly collapse when cut.

Cheesecakes require baking in the oven in a water bath. Of course there is special equipment you can purchase to do this, but a 9" layer cake pan, at least 2" deep, or a 9" spring form pan (my preference) work perfectly. Select a roasting pan or any oven proof dish that will hold your cake pan with some extra room and fill with boiling water half way up the cake pan side. That's it. See photos for examples.

The basics of cheese cake are cream cheese + sour cream + eggs + flavoring. Flavors range from the classic lemon and vanilla to white chocolate (yes!) and ours today--a gingery crust with honey and orange flavored cream. Experiment and impress your guests.

SUMMER CHEESECAKE

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F.

The Crust: make quick work of this in the food processor if you have one, or crush crackers in a plastic bag with your rolling pin or a straight side wine bottle.

12 double graham crackers to make 2 cups crumbs
(use half graham crackers and half almonds or pecans if desired)
1/2 cup sugar
1 scant tablespoon powdered ginger

Pulse in food processor until crumbs are evenly crushed.

Generously butter your cake pan.
Dump in the crumb mix pat down smoothly.
Set aside while you mix the filling.

The Filling

Reminder: room temperature cream cheese mixes much more easily than cold.

2 pounds cream cheese
1 cup sour cream (half of a 1 pound carton)
1 cup honey--lavender honey if you have it, but any intense flavored honey is fine
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs (4 if they aren't very large)

Optional: 1 scant tablespoon cornstarch which will help control any slight seepage after baking

2 teaspoons orange flower water, or the freshly grated zest of a lemon or orange
If you have neither of the above, use 2 teaspoons liquid vanilla.

In your mixer, beat cream cheese and sour cream until smooth.
Add honey and mix in well.
Add eggs one at a time (crack them all into a small bowl first and they are easy to slide into the mixer bowl one at a time).

Be sure to scrape sides of bowl with spatula so that no lumps of cream cheese are left

Add flavorings and mix another minute.

Turn mixture into cake pan on top of crust. Smooth top if necessary.

Spring form pans can leak if not tightly locked. I wrap some aluminum foil around the base of the pan before placing in roaster to prevent this and add the tea kettle full of boiling water. See photo.

Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Turn off oven and leave cake as is, with door closed. After one hour, open oven door, prop ajar with a wooden spoon, and let cake cool one more hour in there.

Remove all pans from the oven and set on counter. Lift out cake pan and set it on an absorbent dishtowel for a few minutes to blot up any water. Do not unmold until completely chilled. Cover cake top in its pan with plastic wrap, set it on a plate, and put in refrigerator overnight or at least 8 hours.

The spring form pan is a snap for unmolding. Run a table knife around the cake to loosen from the ring. Release the catch lock and carefully lift off the ring. Leave the cake on the flat base--it's great for support. Don't forget to lick the ring!

If you are using a standard layer pan, the unmolding is trickier. You will have to loosen the sides, cover the pan with a plate, reverse it and pray it comes out. If you don't want the crumb crust as a topping, reverse again, using a second plate.

The cake is perfect as it is---just needs some iced tea or coffee to accompany a nice big slice. If you want more color, serve with a few raspberries, strawberries, or a combination of colored fruit slices and a spring of fresh mint from your garden.

ENJOY!

KGC