The Gift of Food – Biscoff Cheesecake Tart with Macerated Berries
We have all seen or met famous people at various times in our lives, and while the interaction may be nice, neutral, or negative, it’s usually exciting to run into stars.
We were once warned to stay away with a serious stare from Martin Scorcese while he and his family dined in a brick oven pizza restaurant across the street from the Director’s Guild in Midtown Manhattan.
I met Billy Joel at an East Hampton Baymen’s Association meeting. I was there to ask successfully, for them to delay the scallop season for two weeks so I could complete my graduate research on the bay bottom. He was there to plan his arrest with the baymen; an act of civil disobedience against government harvesting restrictions.
Julianne Moore was perfectly pleasant on the beach in Montauk near her home. Marci and I talked with her for a few moments about our dogs as they frolicked in the sand.
I had a brief conversation with Tim Robbins during an anti-war rally near Bryant Park in New York City, thanking him for being there.
Dee Snider, lead singer of the 1980s glam metal band Twisted Sister walked past me a few years ago on a back street in downtown Huntington, on Long Island where I live. I never cared about the band, but I recognized him instantly.
And then there was the time as a sixth grader I was almost in Rocky II. We were enthralled to meet Sylvester Stallone and chase him down Benjamin Franklin Parkway and up the Philadelphia Art Museum steps.
But the only one of these interactions that involved food was in the mid-1980s, when Academy Award winner F. Murray Abraham gave me a Junior’s cheesecake from Brooklyn where he lived. His children went to Camp Onas as I did during the summer, and that session I happened to be his son’s counselor. We always hoped as they picked up their kids, a parent would give us a tip or contribute to the counselor fund, cash to be divided evenly among the entire staff. But F. Murray Abraham gave me a cheesecake. At the time, I was not impressed.
I knew my camper’s father had won an Oscar for Best Actor a year or two earlier – we all knew – but it was not a movie most teenagers would watch, and I had yet to see Amadeus. To make matters worse, I didn’t even like cheesecake at this age and had no idea what Junior’s was. I promptly gave the dessert away to my fellow counselors, many of whom were from Brooklyn and gobbled it up, understanding the significance of this gift and happy to have a taste from home. I’m sure he was showing his appreciation for watching his son during the summer by bringing me a gift of importance to him. But in my youth and immaturity, it went over my head.
Of course, I now understand how personal the gift of food can be, especially when it comes from somewhere meaningful to the giver. In giving, they are sharing a little bit of what makes them happy and is important to them. It is an intimate act, much more thoughtful than cash, one that gives you a small glimpse of who they are, even if they’re a celebrity. And I remember and joke about this cheesecake every time I have a slice for dessert, see a reference to Junior’s, or hear mention of F. Murry Abraham.
Biscoff Cheesecake Tart with Macerated Berries
This recipe for a thin, simple cheesecake is based on one from Bon Appétit magazine. While they simply lay down Biscoff speculoos cookies below the filling, I turn the cinnamon flavored biscuits into a more proper crust by pulsing them into crumbs in a food processor, adding a bit of melted butter, and baking it. The custard is relatively thin compared to most cheesecakes, including those from Junior’s. The whole thing is topped with lovely, juicy, macerated berries, also gleaned from Bon Appétit.
about 2 hours total, including 1½ hours unattended, serves 4 – 6
about 16 Biscoff speculoos cookies
⅔ stick of butter (about 5½ Tbsp.), melted
12 oz. cream cheese
⅝ cup sugar (10 Tbsp.), divided
1 extra large egg at room temperature
½ cup sour cream at room temperature
1½ tsp. grated lemon zest
½ tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups mixed berries, including your choice of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, washed
1 Tbsp. orange or lemon juice
- Preheat oven to 350 oF.
- Line a 9 x 5 loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving extra paper hanging over the long ends of the pan.
- Place cookies in a food processor and pulse until evenly crushed. Add melted butter and pulse an additional few times until well-combined. Press into a well-packed layer on the bottom of loaf pan. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool while preparing the filling.
- Mash together cream cheese and 6 tablespoons of the sugar in a bowl. Add egg and whisk until fully combined. Mix in sour cream, lemon zest, salt, and vanilla extract and stir until fully incorporated. Pour over crust in loaf pan.
- Bake cheesecake in preheated oven for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the edges start to turn golden brown but the center is still slightly wobbly when the pan is gently shaken. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool.
- Run a knife along the short sides of the pan (without parchment) to release the cheesecake, and lift using the overhanging parchment as a sling. Transfer to a large plate and remove the parchment paper. Place in the refrigerator until cold, at least 1 hour.
- Mash roughly a quarter of the berries with the remaining 4 Tablespoons (¼ cup) of sugar and orange or lemon juice using a potato masher or back of a wooden spoon in a bowl large enough to comfortably hold all the berries, until the sugar begins to dissolve. Gently stir in the remaining berries. Let sit at room temperature, until ready to serve, no more than 2 hours. Spoon the macerated berries over the cold cheesecake, then slice and serve.
Making me hungry! Again!
Yum!