New cheesecake cookbook features biggest cheeses in food writing

It was during a Shavuot tasting of cheesecakes that British publisher Michael Leventhal considered compiling a new cookbook, one solely focused on recipes for the creamy, dairy-based confections.

“I hadn’t realized there was such a diverse, international range of cheesecakes,” said Leventhal.  “The tasting was a huge success, and then I started asking cooks for recipes.”

“The Ultimate Cheesecake Book,” with more than 60 cheesecake recipes contributed by well-known cookbook authors and recipe developers from around the world, was published in the UK in September and will be out in the US in November.

There’s a nearly dietetic cheesecake by Gil Hovav, David Lebovitz’s cheesecake brownies, Joan Nathan’s ricotta crostata, a honey and yogurt cheesecake by Yotam Ottolenghi, a boozy cheesecake milkshake from Adeena Sussman, and a Spanish cheese pudding by Claudia Roden, among others.

The offerings include baked and unbaked versions, cheesecakes rich with chocolate or topped with fruit, and vegan and gluten-free options.

All royalties from sales of the book will be donated to Chai Cancer Care, a British Jewish charity that supported Leventhal when his mother was ill with cancer, and to whom the book is dedicated.

Leventhal, the publisher of Greenhill Books and Green Bean Books, publishes a small number of Jewish cookbooks in addition to military history books and Jewish children’s books.

He previously founded Gefiltefest, a Jewish food charity that was his starting point for meeting food writers and entering the world of cookbooks.

“Food and Jewish food is a gateway to talk about all sorts of things,” said Leventhal.

It was during the coronavirus lockdown that Leventhal put together the Green Bean chocolate cookbook “Babka, Boulou & Blintzes.”

He promised himself he wouldn’t create another cookbook given the time and energy involved, but the cheesecake tasting event prompted this latest tome.

Leventhal said that the connection to cancer care made it relatively easy to contact authors and get them to share recipes.

“Sadly, everyone has some family or friend connection to cancer,” said Leventhal.

He built momentum through the contributing authors, as one would often bring a colleague.

“It’s not a huge thing to ask people to bring one recipe or develop a recipe,” said Leventhal. “Once you have Ottolenghi and Gil Hovav and Joan Nathan, you have a track record.”

Other highlighted recipes include Israeli food writer Sherry Ansky’s Biscoff cheesecake, which Leventhal praised for its light touch, Ravneet Gill’s Basque cheesecake, and Mark Hix’s blueberry, ricotta and cobnut cheesecake.

While cheesecake may be most frequently identified by Jewish readers with the Shavuot holiday and its traditional dairy products, Leventhal was quick to mention that many restaurants  — at least in Israel — have cheesecakes on the menu all year long.

“One of the reasons that Jewish cookbooks sell is that we have a feast every weekend, and there are so many days in the Jewish calendar when you make big meals,” he said. “So why limit your cheesecake intake to Shavuot?”

My (Almost) Sin-Free Cheesecake
By Gil Hovav

Hovav writes that lime zest and juice can hide the taste of artificial sugar very well, while mixing light cream cheese with cinnamon and nuts masks the texture and taste of the light version.

Ingredients
2 cups shelled nuts (hazelnuts, walnuts, pecan and even almonds work)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg white
500 gm (1 lb. 2 oz.) light cream cheese
1 egg
1 egg yolk
½ cup sugar substitute
Zest of 2 limes
Juice of 1 lime
1½ cups light sour cream

1. Put nuts, cinnamon, and egg white in the food processor. Process until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Transfer to an 8×12 Pyrex dish, press and flatten.

2. Put all the rest of the ingredients (except for the sour cream) in the food processor (no need to wash) and mix. Pour into the baking dish on top of the nut mixture.

3. Bake in a 180°C (350°F) oven for 40 minutes until the edges start to become golden and the cake is firm. Smear sour cream on top and bake for another 15 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and then keep in the fridge.