As you like it: strawberry cheesecake, baked, or not

Ah, ragazzi.  First of, a very happy Father's Day to all of you.  Some of you may know that Annalena wishes she knew more of her father, and also of many other fathers, including St. Joseph.  At least in the case of her own, this is clearly not to be.  Nonetheless, she hopes that you all spent wonderful times with yours, and for those of you who are estranged or otherwise separated from you, she hears you, and while she will not minimize  your feelings by claiming to feel your pain,  she understands.


Annalena spent part of the day recovering from some serious back pain, deriving from she knows not what, and cooking, cooking, cooking.  Here is something she made:

While Annalena does not often brag, she feels that this is beautiful.  And she believes it can serve as a template for many cheesecakes in the future.  It came out of the NY Times, Annalena is going to simplify it a bit for you, and give you options.   Isn't she kind?

First, the one  you see has a cookie crust, and if you want the crust, you will be doing some baking; however, you can make this without the crust, with no problem, and then you will have no need to turn on the oven. 

This one is made with strawberries,  and strawberries are in full season right now.  Annalena and the Guyman  are eating them just about every day, and Annalena made her fourth quart of strawberry ice cream today as well.  But as you read the recipe, Annalena believes that you will see that this admits to many variations, as fruit comes into season.  She fully intends to make one with huckleberries in the fall, and you may see some others with cherries, and so forth.

Since the crust is optional, we shall start with the filling, which is the ultimate in simplicity.  You will need a pound of full fat cream cheese (use the one from Pennsylvania), and a half pound of a fresh, young goat cheese.  Annalena had a 10 ounce log.  What's two ounces of cheese among friends?    You will also need a pound of strawberries. 

TIME OUT.   When was the last time you saw strawberries sold by the pound?   Well, there are metrics on the internet to help you, however, a quart of strawberries (that is two points, topini), is a bit more than a pound:  about a pound and a half.  Again, no one will shoot you for using more strawberries than is called for here.  So get a quart of them. Get the little green things out,  then put them in a food processor (the original recipe suggests cutting them up.  No need), and add the cheeses, broken into small pieces.  Add 2/3 cup of sugar.  Turn the thing on until you have an even pink mass.  It will not be smooth.  We are getting to that. 

Now, you need liquid.  Half a cup of it.  The recipe calls for red wine, and that is one Annalena used. She things rose' would be better, and if you are not using wine at all, she suggests using another half cup of berries, and this time, mash them up. 

Put your liquid, or berries into a pot, and stir in one envelope of unflavored gelatin.  Let this sit for five minutes, and then heat it gently, until there is no grit left.  It will happen very quickly.  Then pour that into your food processor, and spin it in.  If you used the wine, or another liquid, you will get a very smooth mix.  If you used more berries, you will have a rougher finish.  Some like it rough.  What can one say?

At this point, if you are not using the crust, get an 8 inch spring form, make sure it's nice and firm, and perhaps line the outside with foil.  Pour in the mix, and get it into your fridge, for at least six hours.  Run a knife around the perimeter, loosen it carefully, and you have something that is a cross between a cheesecake, and an old fashioned dessert called a bavarian creme. 

But if you WANT the crust, you need to spend a bit more time.  And here we go.   You'll make this before you make the filling, so use that food processor again.  Put a stick of room temperature unsalted butter in it, with 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, of any type, and two tablespoons of honey.  Spin this around.  Now add a cup of unbleached flour, half a cup of whole wheat, a scant teaspoon of salt (the recipe calls for 3/4 of a teaspoon: who does that?), and a bit of cinnamon.  Annalena simply used cinnamon sugar.  You are also supposed to use a tablespoon of cocoa powder, which Annalena left out.  

You are going to get a very soft dough, which will remind some of you of cookie dough.  And indeed, it should, for this is a classic cookie crust.    Get it out of the food processor, form it into a ball, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate it for at least a couple of hours.  If you refrigerate it for a long time, as Annalena did, it shall become hard as a rock, and that is fine. 

When you are ready to make the thing, preheat your oven to 325.  Wait for the crust to come to room temperature, and soften, and that will take a while.  When it's soft enough, you can roll it between two pieces of parchment, and put it into either an 8 or 9 inch springform (we have the option here because we are adding more volume with the crust).  Truth to be told, ragazzi, you are going to push this around with your fingers, so if you left it to get nice and soft,  you would probably be better off.  Just make sure it covers the bottom of the pan, and goes up a bit on the sides - even if it's uneven.  Bake it for about 25 minutes in that 325 oven.  

When you've finished baking the crust, let it cool, and then pour in that wonderful filling you've made.  And then put the whole thing in the fridge.  Just like without the crust. 

The recipe called for decorating with whole strawberries, but Annalena has other ideas.  She made a strawberry rhubarb sauce. 

You wanna know?  Ok, here it is.   You can make this while the crust is baking.  Cut up enough rhubarb to fill a four cup, liquid measure.  Don't be a scientist here, there's no need. Put that in a pot with a cup of sugar, a third of a cup of water, and cover the pot.   Cook this at low heat for about ten minutes.  While that's happening, cut up about 2 cups of strawberries.  

After ten minutes, uncover the pot, and stir the rhubarb.  The motion will help what is inevitable, as the rhubarb dissolves into sauce.  Turn off the heat, stir in the berries, and let it cool.  

And you have several recipes here, darlins.  Even if you don't feel moved to make the cheesecake, make the sauce.  Pour it on ice cream, or someone or something.  It's really good.  The time is right, and strawberries and rhubarb are as perfect a combination as things come. 

Annalena still owes you the nettles recipe.  In time, kindern, in time.