I realize that I'm possibly bewildering my non-Jewish readership, but this article has nothing to do with the meaning of Passover. Rather, I appreciate how Passover marks each year that passes. Alas, my year (well, semester) at Amherst is coming to an end. Looking back over these past five months, I can recall joyful memories of eating and drinking (especially drinking!).
When I first decided to come to Amherst, I had no idea that The Flaming Chef would come with me. Although I had written the column for a year and a half at Vassar College, I was looking forward to a little vacation from my usual writing duties. However, my best friend Sarah (who just happens to be editor-in-chief of The Student) would not let me off the hook so easily. One could say I was roped into writing these columns, but the truth is that I've enjoyed writing every word of them.
What really keeps me going is the response I get from readers. While I don't want to knock Vassar, I have found that my readership at the College has been more enthusiastic than I could have dreamed. During this single semester, I have gotten more comments and e-mails about The Flaming Chef than ever before. Believe it or not, it is this feedback that encourages me to continue writing each week, even when I feel lazy or tired.
While The Flaming Chef will no longer appear in The Student, I look forward to continuing the column next year in The Vassar Miscellany, which can be accessed online at misc.vassar.edu. Till then, have a great summer and keep cooking! To end this column on a sweet note, I would like to share one of my Mom's best dessert recipes: her famous cheesecake.
Dot's Cheesecake
2 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs
1?2 cup melted butter
2 cups sugar
3 8 oz. packages cream cheese
6 eggs, room temperature
1 pint sour cream
1 tsp. Vanilla
Juice of 1 lemon
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Grease springform pan.
3. Mix the crumbs, melted butter, and 1?2 cup of the sugar in a bowl.
4. Pat the crumb mixture into the pan, both on the sides and the bottom
5. Bake for 2 minutes in the pre-heated oven.
6. After the crumb mixture is done, take it out and turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
7. In a bowl, blend the cream cheese, the rest of the sugar, the eggs, sour cream vanilla, and lemon juice for at least 20 minutes.
8. Pour the mixture into the springform pan.
9. Bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes.
10. Turn off the oven and crack open the door, letting it sit in the open oven for 1 hour. Cool the cake and remove from the pan.