The Love of Cheesecake

Cheesecake, Queen of the Desserts

Cheesecake...no I don't mean the women of Desparate Housewives, but the infamous dessert that everyone loves to hate.  Everyone loves the creamy cool texture that is almost sensuous to one's palate but most despise the countless calories that it contains.

Cheesecake is found in one form or another in almost every country that  produces a cream or curd style cheese but the most imaginative styles come from North America.  From the heavy and dense New York  that is available in every deli such as Eli's, the similar  textured but creamier Montreal style that is found in such famous locations such as Schwartz's, Dunn's and the long gone Ben's to the layered style of our local Whitespot everyone has a favorite type. Is it the cheeses that  make that velvety texture feel almost orgasmic when the blend of richness and sweetness hits your taste buds? Some connoisseurs are adamant on the Italian ricotta cheese with most purists adhering to the smoothness of cream cheese.

Then there are the question of flavours!  Amaretto, frangelico, peanut butter, white and dark chocolates and all those other strange combinations. What ever happened to just plain old cheesecake? Added to the infused and confused flavours are  the assorted toppings such as strawberry, cherry, sour cream, liqueur spiked chocolate syrups, nuts, whipped cream  (are there not enough calories as it is)?. With all this in mind comes the big question...baked or no baked! All baked cheesecakes tend to have that  nice thick and heavy  richness that is a perfect ending to that five course dinner you've just had.  On the other hand, the light almost mousse quality no bake cheesecakes have that  airiness which means you can have third or fourth helpings since the filling is just whipped air!

With all the above components, cheesecake is a complex and personal recipe to satisfy ones own craving for calories. With so many restaurants and bakeries experimenting to have the best cheesecake around, one cannot forget the most famous cheesecake baker of them all...Sara Lee. Plain, rich and simple, with that bright red strawberry glaze and drab graham wafer crust, Sara has satisfied many  a desperate late night cravings with the convenience of that nearby grocer's freezer.  Though it may be a quick craver saver, there's always something about that artificial taste that tends to linger after you've nearly scraped the bottom of the container.

With today's healthy eating habits, cheesecake has appeared in all forms of disguises with it being made from such fillings as low fat cheese, soya products and also tofu. Forget the substitutes and go for the real thing!  I met Julia Child a few times during her life and some 15 years ago I heard her talk about this author of a particular diet book,  humourously mentioning   the author's husband  having died fairly young for his age. Julia thought that had this author cooked with more fat perhaps he would still be living.  Julia passed away five years ago and up until her passing at the grand age of 92, she was still going strong with all her fat cooking, including duck cracklings that were her most favourite!

Photo: The sublime cheesecake with fresh berries and coulis at the stunning and intimate La Residence in Franschhoek, South Africa (www.laresidence.co.za)