cherry cheesecake

Our friends Vanessa and Marcus joined us for a lovely dinner last weekend. Vanessa's birthday had been earlier that week, so while planning the menu, I inquired about her favorite desert. Thus came my motivation for making my first ever cheesecake.

smitten kitchen has long been one of my favorite food blogs, particularly for desserts. It didn't let me down in this case - there were a number of delicious looking and sounding cheesecake recipes to choose from. I landed on the New York Cheesecake.

I followed the recipe exactly, so I'll let you check it out via the link above vs. repeat it here. A couple of my own learnings from the process (recounting these here in part so I can remember when it comes time to making again to ensure I do so perfectly the next time):

• Oven temp: For the beginning super high oven temperature, I set my oven to 500 degrees (the highest setting before broil). I checked it religiously for the first 10 minutes to make sure I wouldn't burn the top. I got distracted between minute 10 and when the timer went off at minute 12, during which time the top of the cake progressed from a beautiful cream to an unwanted deep brown. I quickly covered it loosely with foil and reduced the oven temp to 200 degrees for another hour. Luckily, I had caught it before the top was actually burned (rather it was just sable in color and little overdone), however the graham cracker crust did get singed from this mishap. Next time, I'll start out at 450 or 475 and make sure I watch more closely for the full first 12 minutes.
• Doneness: Not sure if it's done? This is apparently a common question, for as soon as I had "how do you tell if a cheesecake" entered into Google, it already knew the rest of my search term. I consulted a couple of sites (including this one) and consensus seems to be that a 2-3" wobble in the center when gently shaken indicates the right level of doneness (if left up to my own devices, I would have left it in longer, so I was glad to have consulted the wisdom of those who know more than me here.
• Puffed up cheesecake: Don't stress that your cheesecake has puffed up an inch or more above the top of the springform pan when you remove it from the oven (I had fears that I would have to somehow neatly trim the top, and while this would have eliminated my slightly-overdone-brown-top problem, this seemed like a daunting task). After cooling to room temp and then in the fridge for a bit, the cheesecake was back into the confines of its pan.
• The cherries on top: The cherry topping in the recipe is delicious and works well to cover up a less-than-perfect cheesecake.

cherry cornbread upsidedown cake

I took a lovely weekend trip to the town of Carmel-by-the-Sea a couple of weekends ago. It was a relaxing escape from real life for a bit. While I had taken the direct route via freeway to get there, on my way back I took the scenic route up the winding coast. This allowed for two things that I love. First, the seaside scenery: cliffs dropping straight into the water, salty ocean mist, and beach. You need not give me two seconds at the beach before my shoes are off and my feet are in the sand. This action prompts my tactile memory, transporting me instantly to my youth growing up on the beaches of the Puget Sound. Though it was grey and not particularly warm that day, I of course still had to stop and put my feet in the sand.

The second opportunity the Highway 1 route along the ocean affords is a stop at one of my favorite vegetable stands just north of Castroville. I very much enjoy perusing fresh fruits and vegetables and thinking about their potential: the magical creations that can come of them. This particular trip, the bounty I walked away with included the makings for salsa, some pretty avocados, and a big bag of beautiful bing cherries.

Fast forward a few days, and I was the proud new owner of what I would consider my latest favorite fun kitchen device: a cherry pitter. It's like a little gun that you can use to propel the pit from the cherry (a surprisingly soothing action). Once I had a bowl of pitted cherries in front of me, the question was how to put them to use.

I knew I wanted them to be the star of some sort of baked-good production. I started scanning the cupboards to see what I might have on hand that would pair well. Polenta gave me pause...something about cherries and cornmeal seemed meant to be combined. A quick scan of the internet proved that I am not the first to have this thought.

The recipe I landed on is from one of my favorite food blogs: Smitten Kitchen. I followed the recipe exactly, so rather than repeat it here, I'll direct you to the source. I don't have a cast iron skillet that can go in the oven, so I baked the cake in my french oven. The high sides made the turn-it-upside-down step a little dangerous (I ended up with only one sloping edge - a pleasant surprise given the vigor with which I had to shake it to get the cake out of the pan - the rest of the cake looked pretty good). The resulting cake is like a dense, slightly sweet cornbread, topped with cherries that impart tangy, juicy goodness. The cake seems to call out to be enjoyed along with a big cup of coffee, perfect for brunch.

2 years ago: spinach and berries salad with curry dressing