The Cheesecake Bible Your Holiday Must Have

Cheesecake lovers rejoice! There is a new book out that celebrates this famed treat with a variety of sweet and savory (!) recipes. Everything from just plain cheesecake to taco one is in here. This is a great gift for those who love a good wedge of cheesy goodness..

The Cheesecake Bible: The Second Edition (Robert Rose Press 2018)  was written by George Geary who also created the original Cheesecake Bible  as well as 150 Best Donut Recipes. Mr. Geary may not be known to all, but his cheesecakes are. They were featured on the hit Eighties comedy,  Golden Girls where the "girls'  Sophia, Dorothy, Rose and Blanche would gather around the kitchen table and share a whole cheesecake. At this time he was also a pastry chef at Disneyland where he bake anywhere from 250 to 350 cheesecakes a day for ten years! This  book has everything from  all sorts of flavors for the sweet along with refreshing savory ones, perfect for any upcoming holiday gatherings. The book is a great primer for beginners because Mr. Geary goes into extensive detail about what kinds of pans to use along with the different cheeses used. His suggestions are ones from an experienced pastry chef about what kind of measuring cups to use to what to look for in a perfectly made cheesecake. Another plus is that he isn't fussy when it comes to the crust. You can use the cookie and cracker recipes he provides or just buy the store bought kinds and crush them.

I love this book for many reasons. The savory cheesecakes are on the top of my list for holiday must bakes. I want to try the black olive and herb one, redolent with fresh basil and tarragon.Another one that has piqued my interest is the cheddar chili one  loaded with refried beans and tomatoes  along with an artichoke cheese cake, graced with artichoke hearts and shredded Swiss cheese.  Of course there are the sweet ones. There is  the  well known and internationally loved  Lindy's cheesecake  and the famed Golden Girls one. This last is a classic recipe with a drizzle of  raspberry sauce and buttery crust.I love the variations. There's so many that I want to bake.There's a rich blackout one with a chocolate cookie crust accented with a truffle fudge topping, made with both milk and bitter chocolate. Then there is a South of France one , made with ricotta, along with orange and lemon zest. There are also recipes for bites and bars too, perfect for a holiday dessert table.Mr. Geary has recipes for ones made with the German quark cheese and hoop cheese. Another aspect of the book that's fantastic are the recipes for cookies and crackers. They'd be wonderful on their own and I plan on trying his butter cookies and graham crackers.

The Cheesecake Bible, The Second Edition is the must have book for cheesecake lovers and bakers.It is chock full of delicious sweet and savory recipes.. Get it and start with the holiday baking !

A Royal Breakfast

Tomorrow most of us Yanks will wake at the crack of dawn to watch one of our own marry into the British Royal family.How do we celebrate? By having a Brit breakfast - or at least one influenced by the United Kingdom

A British fry up breakfast is a great but heavy way to greet the day. It is an eye opener that does require mostly frying.It starts with meat. Most English like breakfast sausages, one made of pork called a banger. The best we have here is the Jimmy Dean sausages and for vegetarians - Morning Star Farms. Some like bacon - our bacon called streaky Irish with it. The bacon provides the perfect fat for frying up the other components.Every breakfast plate usually has one or two eggs, always cooked sunnyside up.This way the eater can dip either bread or a sausage into the yolk.About the bread. it cannot be toasted. It has to be fried, in the bacon drippings, or if that's all used up, butter.Iit shouldn't be too soggy with oil, A minute or two in the pan should do it.it wouldn't be a fry up without that Brit staple - beans. Heinz is the popular brand. Tomatoes give it some bite and also are a perfect foil for the meat and eggs. Usually the beefsteak kind are used but try the vine ripe for a sweeter , more vibrant flavor.Another must have is the vinegar laced HP sauce..It's kind of like a tart version of Worcester sauce  which can be used.If that's too intense at five in the morning, switch to ketchup.

Some Americans may feel that eating a huge meal that early may be too much. Try a Thomas' English muffin instead. These are based on the English , crumpet, a spongy kind of muffin brought to the US by Samuel Bath Thomas, from Plymouth in 1879. Slather clotted cream, another UK treat, on them, and then your favorite jam or marmalade. Clotted cream came from the Phoenicians who traded tin in Cornwall.It's cooked milk but has a wonderful buttery , nutty flavor. If not , try Kerry's Irish butter on a hot, toasty English muffin. Slather a rich , flavorful jam on top such as Aldi's Specialty Selected blackberry. You could celebrate the Scottish way with oatmeal.Don't go crazy with cooking the old fashioned rolled oats.. A packet of the instant will do.It may be too late to bake up a loaf of oatmeal bread but many stores do sell it. Toast up a few slices , slather on butter and that other English must have - marmalade. Tea is another must have. Coffee just won;t do.. One of the best is Typhoo tea which can be bought in the international section of some supermarkets like Stop& Shop.It's been around for over one hundred years and has a lovely , mellow flavor. If you can't find it, then go for Earl Grey or Lady Grey tea.

Celebrate an Anglo-American wedding with a Brit breakfast. Go wild with a full on fry up or nibble on an English muffin. Either way, it's a great way to enjoy Harry and Meghan's big day.