Sunday, June 12, 2005
The Laws of Cheesecake
I know my posting recently seems lighter than a souffle made with egg white substitute and non-fat milk in place of the cream. But we're riding out one of those long weekends where Shabbat and then a holiday come in quick succession, like speedbumps in the calendar whose job is to keep time from passing too quickly.
Now that the Shabbat part has passed, I'm taking a moment's break before diving into preparation for the holiday of Shavuot that starts tonight. As I'm sure we all know, Shavuot is the holiday of the "Receiving of the Laws of Cheesecake", a seminal moment in Jewish history. We commemorate the moment when the world first learned:
If you really, really liked this -- or even really, really hated it -- there's lots more:
Now that the Shabbat part has passed, I'm taking a moment's break before diving into preparation for the holiday of Shavuot that starts tonight. As I'm sure we all know, Shavuot is the holiday of the "Receiving of the Laws of Cheesecake", a seminal moment in Jewish history. We commemorate the moment when the world first learned:
- Take not of the fluffy, airy, flan-like cheesecake for it is an abomination.
- Honor the baking time and keep it holy.
- Mix not thy ingredients, one with another, until they are room temperature, and do not mix beyond the time of their combining, for it is sufficient.
- Expose not thy cheesecake whilst it is in the oven, it is a wicked thing.
- Thou shalt not eat of the cheesecake of the nations, for garlic cheesecake is an unclean thing, you will vomit it out.
- Thou shalt not cut big pieces, but many small ones. One for thou and thy spouse, for thy son and thy daughter, thy manservant and in-laws, for thy guests, and thy cattle should they dwell amongst thee. This is a law for you, for they are surely all on a diet.
- Thou shalt not take reduced fat cream cheese for it is not good.
- Thou shalt not dip thy cheesecake in thy tea, that it shall be good for thy mouth and not thy cup.
- Thou shalt cut thy cake with dental floss, that the knife in thy hand not defile the edges of each piece.
- Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's cheesecake, nor his crust, nor his recipe, just ask for it.
| German Chocolate Cheesecake Pie | |
| From the Land O' Lakes Chocolate cookbook. | |
| Ingredients | |
| --- crust | |
| chopped toasted slivered almonds | 1 cup |
| flaked coconut | 1 cup |
| sugar | 1/3 cup |
| melted butter | 1/3 cup |
| --- filling | |
| sugar | 1/2 cup |
| cream cheese, softened | 16 oz |
| eggs | 2 |
| sweet cooking chocolate, melted | 4 oz |
| Directions | |
| Heat oven to 350 degrees. | |
| In medium bowl, stir together all crust ingredients; preserve 1/3 cup for topping. Press remaining crust mixture on bottom and halfway up sides of 9-inch pie pan. | |
| In large mixer bowl combine 1/2 cup sugar and cream cheese. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until light and fluffy (1 to 2 minutes). Add eggs; continue beating, scraping bowl often, until well mixed (1 to 2 minutes). Add chocolate; continue beating, scraping bowl often, until well mixed (1 to 2 minutes). Pour chocolate mixture into prepared pie crust. | |
| Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until center is just set. | |
| Cool; sprinkle with reserved 1/3 cup crust mixture. | |
| Refrigerate at least 2 hours. | |
