Not your grandmother's Shavuot cheesecake!
Dinner at my grandmother's house is always punctuated by one of her amazing desserts. (She's a great cook, and I hope to inherit her recipe file someday.) She makes the best apple pie I've ever had, and the best cheesecake. She has two kinds: Something that's essentially a buttery quickbread with cubes of cream cheese dispersed in the center, and her special one that she makes only on holidays or by request on birthdays. The only part that you have to bake is the nutty crust, and the only parts you have to cook are the thickening agents and the blueberry glaze.I have yet to snag the recipe for the first one, but, the second one is below, just in time for Shavuot tomorrow night.This is not your grandmother's cheesecake.Lola's Holiday CheesecakeCrust:
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup ground toasted almonds
1/4 cup margarine
1/8 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 medium egg, slightly beaten, or 1/4 cup Egg BeatersPreheat oven to 350F. Mix all ingredients together, then press dough into a 9" springform pan (or square pan, but the springform pan will make your cleaning life easier) and bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown. Place the pan on a rack and let cool.Alternatively, you can use a store-bought crust, but where's the fun in that? It won't be as nutty, and you'll miss out on part of the magic of this cheesecake.Cheesecake:
16 oz. cream cheese (2 8oz. bricks--any fat content is fine, but live a little and buy full fat)
1 Cool Whip container (4-8oz. depending on how creamy you like your cheesecake)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher gelatin, or 1 teaspoon agar-agar if you're vegetarianCream the cream cheese, Cool Whip, vanilla, powdered sugar, and lemon zest together. In a small pot, cook the kosher gelatin or agar-agar in the lemon juice until it dissolves, then blend into the cream cheese mixture. Fill crust and let set in the fridge while you make the blueberry glaze.Blueberry glaze:
1 lb (16 oz.) fresh or frozen blueberries (frozen's easier, fresh tastes best)
1/4 cup plus 1/8 teaspoon sugar
1 tsp to 1 tablespoon cornstarch, slurried in 1/4 cup waterIn a medium pot over medium heat, heat the blueberries until warm. Stir in sugar, then stir in cornstarch-water slurry. Keep stirring until the mixture becomes thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Taste and add more sugar if more sweetness is desired. Remove from heat and let cool, stirring occasionally. (If you forget to stir it, it'll be just a little harder to pour later.)If you don't like blueberries, you can make a glaze with any other fruit you like, or use jam. When I was a kid, I hated blueberries, but I loved them on this cheesecake.To assemble: Spread blueberry glaze over cheesecake. Serve cold.Chag sameach!
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup ground toasted almonds
1/4 cup margarine
1/8 cup plus 1 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 medium egg, slightly beaten, or 1/4 cup Egg BeatersPreheat oven to 350F. Mix all ingredients together, then press dough into a 9" springform pan (or square pan, but the springform pan will make your cleaning life easier) and bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden brown. Place the pan on a rack and let cool.Alternatively, you can use a store-bought crust, but where's the fun in that? It won't be as nutty, and you'll miss out on part of the magic of this cheesecake.Cheesecake:
16 oz. cream cheese (2 8oz. bricks--any fat content is fine, but live a little and buy full fat)
1 Cool Whip container (4-8oz. depending on how creamy you like your cheesecake)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup powdered sugar
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher gelatin, or 1 teaspoon agar-agar if you're vegetarianCream the cream cheese, Cool Whip, vanilla, powdered sugar, and lemon zest together. In a small pot, cook the kosher gelatin or agar-agar in the lemon juice until it dissolves, then blend into the cream cheese mixture. Fill crust and let set in the fridge while you make the blueberry glaze.Blueberry glaze:
1 lb (16 oz.) fresh or frozen blueberries (frozen's easier, fresh tastes best)
1/4 cup plus 1/8 teaspoon sugar
1 tsp to 1 tablespoon cornstarch, slurried in 1/4 cup waterIn a medium pot over medium heat, heat the blueberries until warm. Stir in sugar, then stir in cornstarch-water slurry. Keep stirring until the mixture becomes thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Taste and add more sugar if more sweetness is desired. Remove from heat and let cool, stirring occasionally. (If you forget to stir it, it'll be just a little harder to pour later.)If you don't like blueberries, you can make a glaze with any other fruit you like, or use jam. When I was a kid, I hated blueberries, but I loved them on this cheesecake.To assemble: Spread blueberry glaze over cheesecake. Serve cold.Chag sameach!
Christina
