:: February 2012                                                                       By Ora Aselton
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It's an Act of
LOVE

By the time you finish reading this column, I know what you'll be thinking. This entry is a total contradiction of all that I suggested last month. And you will be right! It does seem oddly inconsistent and more than a little weak-willed that I just offered a healthy January resolution and now I am tempting you with a cart-load of cream cheese. But, before you go comparing me to Paula Dean, y'all, let me explain. It's February. My husband's birthday and Valentine's Day would be each reason enough to indulge in a few calories but ...drum-roll here... it's also the anniversary of  In the Kitchen with Ora Aselton. One year ago this month, I began a culinary journey via VisitMilbridge.com, revisiting some of my fondest food memories and sharing them with you. However, I realize that in a year's time, I have not written even once about dessert. So, forgive me... a little celebration is in order!

For that birthday I mentioned, there is just one acceptable grand finale and that is cheesecake. My stoic husband, generally uninterested in sweets, utterly gives it up for a decadent slice of heaven on his special day. No boxed cheesecake or gooey cheese pie will do. If this man is going to indulge but once a year, the annual temptation must be the real deal. And for both of us, that is a New York-style cheesecake, dense, slightly dry, firm yet crumbling, and yes, ...cake-like. Where to find such a delicacy? Well, if you frequent the Broadway theater district, a number of tourist-packed eateries advertise “the best” but, ask any cabbie and he will probably bring you to Brooklyn. There on the corner of Flatbush and DeKalb is Junior's, home to the finest cheesecake in New York. You could travel all the way to NYC to sample this incredible dessert or, more simply, you can order it. Junior's has an efficient on-line service. But... if you really want to win someone's heart and save quite a bit of money while you're at it, make it yourself.

That had been easier said than done until recently. I had been searching for the quintessential recipe without satisfaction for a very long time and was whining about the disappointment to my friend and neighbor, Lee-lee Schlegel.  Lee-lee ...another drum roll, please... is a very impressive cook and a gracious hostess. As I bemoaned my failure to capture the perfection of a true New York cheesecake, she immediately produced the secret for what she calls, “Ultimate Cheesecake Deluxe”. On a hand-written recipe card, was the mystery of the universe, or so it seemed.

Have you ever met cooks who will not share their recipes? I've encountered a few and can never quite understand their motivation. In my view, sharing recipes is an act of love and a vital connection among families and communities. Some of the most important characters of our life's story live on in recipes that have been handed down and, as we prepare them and serve them, retelling the tales, we remember. Food is so often the fuel for vivid memory and tradition, as well as lively conversation. Whenever people gather, inevitably there is table talk and generous exchange. In that same spirit, Lee-lee presented to me the “real deal” cheesecake I'd been craving and her permission to share it with you... another act of love. All I can say beyond this is that her fabulous version certainly lives up to its title. Thank you, Lee-lee!

If you are still concerned about the fat content, as well you should be, consider it not one dessert but many. Lee-lee assures me that this freezes beautifully. Cut the cheesecake into sections and pop them into the freezer for another occasion. It's February, after all, and I hope that you, too, have much to celebrate... A sweet Valentine's Day? A lovely prelude to spring? During this decidedly romantic month, enjoy this elegant dessert with the special people in your life. On this first anniversary of sharing with you In the Kitchen, I can think of nothing more appropriate. An act of love is often worth the calories!

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Ultimate Cheesecake Deluxe

Crust Base:
1 ½ cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 ½ teaspoons lemon rind
2 egg yolks
½ teaspoon vanilla
¾ cup butter, softened

Combine dry ingredients.  Beat yolks with vanilla and blend into butter.  Add to dry mixture to form dough. Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour.  Press into bottom and sides of a 9” spring-form pan.  Bake 10 minutes at 400 degrees.  Press sides back up while still warm.  Set aside to cool.

Filling:
1 ¾  cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoons each, lemon and orange zest
5 packages (8 ounces, full fat) cream cheese
6 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup Half & Half

Combine dry ingredients.  Blend in cream cheese with electric mixer.  Add eggs separately.  Add vanilla, Half & Half, and mix well.  Pour into cooled crust.  Bake at 500 degrees for 12 minutes; reduce to 200 degrees.  Bake for 1½ hours.  Cool completely.  If desired, top with berry glaze or fruit of choice.