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Shavuot cheese and non-cheese cake favorites

We learned an important lesson last year during our Shavuot recipe testing: We’re purists.

When it comes to cheesecake, we’re all about the cheese, not the chocolate, the pumpkin, the raspberries, what have you. We went off-piste last year, testing a pumpkin cheesecake, and while we had no problem polishing off, it just didn’t taste like Shavuot.

Don’t get us wrong, when it’s on offer, we’ll gladly partake, but this year we’re going to stick to baking a cheese only delight. We’re not total sticklers; we know that the super rich Philadelphia version is just too heavy for some. We’ll consider other cheeses, like ricotta, but the ingredient list should be simple: soft cheese, eggs, sugar, lemon, maybe some vanilla. The end.

Fulfilling those guidelines are our two standby favorites: Sicilian cheesecake (ricotta based) and the Junior’s variety (full Philadelphia all the way).

Otherwise, why not just make a non-cheesecake dairy dessert, like Key Lime Pie, a perennial favorite that perfectly balances tart and sweet?

We did learn a lot through our pumpkin experiment, because we tried out some highly technical tips for troubleshooting the perfect cheesecake. And lo, they worked! So if you’re looking to serve that take-your-breath-away cheesecake, make sure to put these tips to the test.




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