Food & Wine

Wine In My Kitchen: Cooking and Reading Everyday

by Karen Tripson

Wine-Friendly Food for Tastings

All you non-bakers take note: cheesecake is easy to make with Chef George Geary's clear instructions in "125 Best Cheesecake Recipes". He has been teaching cheesecake at cooking schools around the country for years and baking them for even longer. He is an expert at explaining how to make perfect cheesecakes - easily. After testing several of these recipes, a confirmed believer in store-bought ice cream and cookies for dessert like me thinks nothing of baking a cheesecake. I know this chef personally and encouraged him in the pre-publisher phase to pursue his dream.

Ingredients and Techniques
The introductory sections on tools, techniques and ingredients have good information you will enjoy knowing. Who knew that sugar isn't just for sweetening, but also for tenderness, preservation and attractive browning? I like having facts on cheeses too, particularly some unfamiliar names to me like Quark, a flavorful German-style soft cheese that is a good substitute for reduced fat sour cream or yogurt. I want to try that. I want to find someone making fresh ricotta so I can try that recipe too.

The key to perfect cheesecakes that I learned from this book is taking it slowly. All the ingredients are at room temperature and ready to add before you turn on the mixer. Each ingredient is beaten in slowly and thoroughly. Bake until it jiggles and then cool slowly. Wrap once in plastic wrap and again in foil to freeze up to three months. That is not hard at all.

A Non-Baker's Path to Cheesecakes
The hunt for the perfect hors d'œuvre has consumed me for a long time. "Delicious and simple and elegant and easy and do ahead" sounds like a Boolean search that never returns any results. The expense of pistachios, imported olives and artisan goat cheese makes them impractical. I have experimented with mushroom pates. I doubt there are any combinations with yogurt I haven't tried in an effort to do something with crackers other than serve with cheese. So it is with part eureka! and part relief, I have discovered savory cheesecakes.

Highlight the Wine, not Overpower
Consider sipping a steely Sauvignon Blanc with a bite of creamy, spreadable Gruyère with a hint of fresh dill on Kavli crispbread. The bite is nutty and salty and rich and crisp - that works for me much better than peanuts. The recipe in Chef Geary's book is called Swiss Alps Cheesecake and I think it pairs well with many wines, red or white.

Another versatile recipe is Herbed Gorgonzola (recipe in PDF format). Unlike the power of a aged blue cheese that needs a robust red wine or a sauterne to keep pace, the flavors of this Italian-style blue cheese and herbs mixed with cream cheese, won't overwhelm lighter wines as the ratio of blue to cream cheese is one to four. Another success I've had is which Blue Cheese Pistachio Cheesecake, which is more intense with equal parts blue cheese and cream cheese. Incredible too - it's a no-bake, no-crust recipe.

I think all these cheesecakes work with a variety of wines because the dominent cheese in the recipe has been mellowed by the addition of cream cheese and flavorings. They are well suited to play a supporting role and that's a relief for the host setting the stage for a good time with good food and wine.

Serve savory cheesecakes whole on a platter as you would a wheel of cheese with crackers and grapes or your favorite seasonal garnish. For a smaller group, serve a quarter or a half wedge of the cheesecake.

More Savory Cheesecake Recipes and Wine Ideas

• Chipotle Chile — Reisling, Gewurtztraminer, Zinfandel, Syrah
• Creamy Crab Seafood — Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc
• Savory Herb — Sémillon, Chenin Blanc, Merlot
• Pesto Sun- Dried Tomato — Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Syrah, Sangiovese

The Sweet Finish
The majority of the recipes are sweet and cover most every imaginable flavor you can think of, plus some you might not have. You will find boatloads of chocolate recipes; lots with lemon and citrus notes; every kind of berries and many other fresh fruits including papaya, pineapple and even pumpkin. Of particular interest for easiest wine pairing may be cheesecakes that are slightly sweet such as the German Quark and Italian Ricotta. No matter what you want to pour, you will have no trouble making pairings from "125 Best Cheesecake Recipes" that bring the best out in the wines.

Dessert Cheesecake Recipes and Wine Ideas

• Caramel Apple — Late Harvest Riesling or Gewurztraminer
  
• Apricot Hazelnut or Maui Tropical — Sparklers
  

Read More About Pairing Wine and Cheese

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