Everybody sing out Shavuot! It’s cheesecake time!
Image by Couleur from Pixabay
The major Judaeo-Christian religions all celebrate spring in similar, but different ways. The Jewish religion has Passover, Christians: Easter, Muslims: Ramadan. Each is celebrated around the vernal equinox. Around 40 to 50 days later, come fruition celebrations that are generally overlooked by the secular world. Muslims celebrate Eid al-fitre and Christians celebrate the ascension and Penticost. In Jewish circles: Everybody sing out Shavuot! It’s cheesecake time! That’s right. 50 days after Passover, comes Shavuot, which marks the end of the counting of the Omer (wheat). Some call it the festival of weeks (marking 7 weeks after Passover). If we take out the religious connotations, it is about 40 to 50 days after the start of the spring season when the “first fruits” would be ready to harvest. Any denomination can get behind that reason to celebrate.
One would think that a holiday celebrating the harvesting of wheat would highlight breads. But, one would be wrong. In addition to the counting of the Omer, Shavuot also celebrates the deliverance of the written torah. There are several different interpretations of what this means to the Jewish people. For some reason, this means dairy comes into play. Some posit that the torah contained new kosher dietary restrictions, so, Moses’s followers had to eat all the dairy before going full on kosher. Some cite the promise of a land of milk and honey. Or, Moses descended from Mount Gavnunim which is similar to the hebrew word gavinum (meaning cheese). Like I said, there are different interpretations. So, you make the call. The bottom line is: dairy is the focus of the day. That and studying the torah all night.
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Everybody sing out Shavuot! It’s cheesecake time!
Some eat dairy during the day and meat at night, often with a kiddish. So, cheese Blintzes are the order of the day. But, the most common item associated with the day (at least in America) is cheesecake. What’s not to like? So, let’s take a little time to reflect and celebrate the season, Omer, and the Torah, New York style. Below, we present our spin on the Brooklyn classic. To give a bright spring flavor, we have added lemon and ginger, then top it with a blueberry compote. But, you can make whatever adaptations you desire. This recipe is all from scratch. If you are pressed for time and ingredients, you can just use the base recipe without lemon and ginger. If you don’t have blueberries, use whatever fruit you desire. Shavuot celebrates freedom. And, you have freedom of choice.
Lemon Ginger Cheesecake with Blueberry Compote
Ingredients
- For the Crust:
- 1.5 cups Crushed graham crackers
- 1/4 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/2 tsp ginger powder
- 1 Tbsp Lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 2 oz Melted butter
- For the Cheesecake:
- 2 Lb Cream Cheese at room temperature
- 4 large Eggs
- 2 cup sugar
- 2 Whole Lemons, Juice and zest
- 1/4 cup diced candied ginger
- 2 cups Heavy Cream
- 1 whole vanilla bean
- 1/4 cup corn starch
- For the topping:
- 2 cups Blueberries
- 1 whole lemon: zest and juice
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup water
Instructions
- Make the topping: Boil Lemon, sugar, and water. Reduce by half, stirring occasionally. Add in the blueberries and cook until well coated and the syrup becomes blue. It should not be runny. Remove from heat and refrigerate.
- Preheat oven to 325.
- make the crust: Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until smooth. Add in all dry ingredients. Then drizzle in butter while the machine is on. The crumbs should hold their shape, and not crumble much.
- Assemble and spray a spring form pan. Place it on a sheet pan in case anything leaks out.
- Press the crumb crust into the bottom of the pan in a flat even surface. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes while you are making the filling, so that it crisps the crust a bit.
- make the filling: Pulse the cream cheese in a food processor. Scrape down the sides. Add in the eggs and sugar and pulse until incorporated. Don't over-mix or it will become too runny. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla beans and add in to cheese mix. Add in the rest of the ingredients, except the ginger, and process until smooth. Then fold in the ginger.
- Pour the mix into the spring form pan with the crust. Smooth the top to remove any air bubbles. Bake at 325 for about 1 hour. The sides of the cake should brown and pull away from the sides of the pan a bit. Turn off the oven and allow the cake to cool in the oven for at least an hour. This will help avoid the top cracking. You could also allow to cool at room temperature.
- Remove the cake from the pan carefully and place in the refrigerator when it is ready. Allow to cool enough to top. Then, top with the blueberry compote and serve.