Cheeses of Nazareth
The earliest recorded history of cheesecake shows that cheesecake was very popular in ancient Greece. When Rome conquered Greece, the Romans began preparing cheesecake and often would use cheesecake as an offering in their temples to their gods. One of the foods served to athletes during the first Olympic Games held in 776 B.C. on the Isle of Delos was cheesecake.
In the early 1900’s the most famous variation of cheesecake came of age and is still at the top of its game as the New York cheesecake. This pure, untainted cheesecake is prepared with pure cream cheese, cream, eggs, and sugar. It is not to be served with any goopy toppings just a pure and simple unadorned cheesecake.
The most indispensable ingredient in any cheesecake is cheese. Most cheesecakes are made from ricotta, cream or cottage cheese. There is a never ending supply of recipes for these creations with cooks the world over striving to make the perfect cheesecake. Many cultural and regional influences can be displayed in cheesecakes which will see a variety of ingredients used for the crust and regionally influenced cheese ingredients.
Sequoia and Kira Henry making fresh goat cheese at Crosswind Farms
In my opinion if cheesecake was good enough for Olympians it’s definitely good enough for me. On the contrary I must admit that I’m not a huge dessert eater. So I prefer my cheesecake to be a savory preparation which would see my cheesecake made from Gorgonzola cheese and maybe a walnut crust or an almond port cheesecake served with a light salad. These types of cheesecakes put me into culinary rapture. With life being so unpredictable why not eat dessert first? I enjoy cheese like most Canadians do. I could eat it at every meal, whether it is cheese soup, a fresh bag of curds or a silky cheesecake; cheese always satisfies.
Cross Wind Farm is our locally owned and operated goat cheese farm producing award winning artisanal cheese. Which is located just a short drive outside of Peterborough in Keene. Cross Wind is a family owned and operated farm and it is proudly celebrating its 4th Anniversary this holiday season. I recommend using Cross Wind Farm Cheese in the following recipe for Balsamic Scented Goat Cheesecake with a Cranberry Almond Crust, which is sweet enough for dessert but is also savoury enough to eat with a salad. A bitter green salad would be best dressed with a light balsamic or berry vinaigrette, and slice your cheesecake into pieces that are about half of what one would serve for a dessert size portion.
Cranberry Almond Crust
Ingredients:
1 cup of crushed almonds
2/3 of a cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tbsp. of sugar
1/4 cup dried cranberries chopped
1/2 cup of melted butter
Method:
In a medium sized bowl mix together all of the dry ingredients. Now pour in the melted butter and blend together until it is of an even consistency.
Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of 9 inch spring form pan.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 6 or 7 minutes. Set aside.
Balsamic Scented Goat Cheesecake
For the filling:
1 ½ pounds of goat cheese
5oz. honey
1/2 cup whole fat goat’s milk
6 eggs
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Method:
Beat goat cheese with the honey on low speed until barely combined. With the beaters running slowly add the goat’s milk. Next add the eggs one at a time and beat until just incorporated. Pour the filling over the prepared crust and bake on the middle rack of the oven at 300 F for 25 minutes. Let the cheesecake cool and serve with a light salad.
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