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Posts Tagged ‘cheesecake’

My childhood was a little odd compared to most other children.  I didn’t sneak sweets.  I actually ate only meat, fruit and even some spinach and green beans.  I suspect that many of you mothers and fathers might be wishing that you had an ideal child like I was.  My preferences might have been tied to the fact that my mother kept me on baby foods until I was twenty-eight.  In retrospect, I realize that none of the [major babyinfant] food companies squeeze a pureed slice of a fudge brownie into a small glass jar.

I also ate very little candy.  After I would come home from trick or treating every Halloween night, my mother would make me dump my goodies on the floor, where we would both seat ourselves, cross-legged.  We would sort them into three piles.  Into one of those piles would go everything that was made by the generous Mrs. Robertson.  Those went straight into the garbage, because Mom was sure that Mrs. Robertson let her fourteen cats walk all over the kitchen counters.  The pile next to the toxic contributions of Mrs. Robertson was made up of any apples and small boxes of raisins that I had been given.  The apples were always provided by the two dentists who lived in our neighborhood.  That was the pile I ended the night consuming.  I can’t say for certain what happened to the third grouping–the one that contained all the candy, the caramel apples and the popcorn balls.  As soon as the sorting was finished, my mom hastily took those into my parent’s bedroom.  They never again appeared.  The only time I ever was allowed to have candy was when I visited one pair of grandparents.  (My other grandparents only tried to give me buttermilk.  I resent cows to this day.)

In defense of my mother, I believe that this sort of behavior is taught in the top secret motherhood school.  I know this because my wife exhibited the same behavior with our son on Halloween that my mother employed.  That was typically followed by a couple weeks of repeated, “Do I look fat to you?”  It didn’t take me long to realize that such a question demands a very rapid response; one should not even pause for a breath.

At twenty-nine, just as I was beginning to learn that meat, vegetables and applesauce do not have identical textures in their natural states, I discovered dessert in the form of a gourmet cheesecake.  Actually, I now know that the word gourmet is rarely applied to anything that comes from the discount grocery store in an ugly box with a small cellophane peep hold.  The cheesecake turned out to be mostly chemicals–delicious chemicals.  Remember that my taste buds had been accustomed to the miracle recipes of the baby food makers.  To me, the cheesecake was the definition of heaven.

Some years later, as I went through my gastronomical adolescence, my recreational use of foods helped me to realize that cheesecake didn’t really taste like cardboard, as my first experience had led me to believe.  In addition, I discovered that cheesecake, the wonder food, actually comes in lots of different flavors.

Dessert is now my reason for living! The best way to top off a well balanced meal of two jars of meat, three jars of thoroughly squashed squash and a banana is with a slice of turtle cheesecake.  Don’t allow this news to leak to my mother, though; she’ll just take it to her bedroom.

Unfortunately, I don’t have the foggiest notion of how to go about actually making a cheesecake.  If you have a recipe for one that doesn’t involve using either a mixer or an oven, please let me know.  I do know how to use a blender, though, because I watched my mom prepare the Thanksgiving turkey one year.

Author’s note:  I may have taken some creative liberties with slight exaggerations here and there, but I’m not concerned about being caught.  My mother is still not sure what the Internet is.

If you’re serving a special cheesecake, consider taking the extra step of considering the appearance of the cheesecake. We enjoy food with our eyes, in addition to our mouths. Always play around with your own thoughts, but here are a handful of ideas to get you started.

New York Style Cheesecake: This is what most people would think of as the basic, plain or “unflavored” cheesecake. Frankly, it is anything but unflavored! However, its flavor will adapt well to nearly all additions. Well, maybe not broccoli! I suggest that you should consider complimenting the rich flavor of this versatile cake by placing a healthy amount of hot caramel topping around the plate.

Blueberry Cheesecake: Purchase a high quality blueberry preserve. Stir in enough lemon juice to dilute the preserves so that it will come off a teaspoon on its own. Drizzle the diluted preserves in a zigzag pattern across the cake. The tartness of the lemon juice will provide a nice counterpoint to the sweet taste of the preserves and cake.

Gourmet Turtle Cheesecake: This cheesecake has a variety of flavors incorporated, so it’s best not to try to introduce a new one. Instead, place a few petals from small blooms around the platter to add to the presentation. Yellow petals particularly enhance the color of the dessert.

Pumpkin Cheesecake, a holiday season favorite, is even smoother than the more traditional pumpkin pie. Cut a festive hole in some paper–tree shaped or a five pointed star. Center the paper over the top of the slice. In the hole, gently shake cinnamon.

Low Carb Cheesecakes: A mint sprig positioned on one side of the cheesecake will make this diet dessert seem even more wonderful without adding any unnecessary carbs.

The appearance is affected not only by the contents of the dish but additionally by the nature of the platter, itself. Certainly, the small plates that are part of your china set will serve your purpose. But the additional storage areas in modern homes permit many of us to keep specialty plates. Many people have unique salsa and chip servers, instead of the old fashioned bowls. Why not get special serving pieces that you use for those spectacular dessert celebrations?The presentation is impacted not just by what’s on the plate but additionally by the nature of the platter, itself. Certainly, the small plates that are part of your china set will do the job. But the expanded storage space in modern pantries allow many hosts and hostesses to keep specialty plates. People have individual salt servers and soup crocks, as opposed to the typical bowls. Why not get special serving pieces that you use only for the special dessert celebrations?

Cheesecakes are a wonderful–and slightly expensive–ending to a fine meal or a casual picnic. Dedicate just a little your planning time to highlight the elegance of this remarkable delicacy with your signature touches.