Welcome to our series sharing Food Holidays: July 30th, 2021. Take a look at the Holiday being celebrated today and let me know if you would like to celebrate today or not.
As for me not so much but David and his Dad would like to because they both love Cheesecakes and at one time Charlie would eat them as well. How about you?
National Cheesecake Day is the yummiest Holiday held on July 30 where America samples and indulges in delicious Cheesecakes of all kinds and flavors.
Separately, Cheese and Cake are beloved all over the world. But taken together, they attract a veritable cult following. Cheesecake is thought to have originated in Ancient Greece, as evidenced by its earliest mention in Greek physician, Aegimus’, a book on the Art of Making Cheesecakes. Since then, Cheesecake has been passed down through generations and entered into the fabric of numerous Cultures.
History of National Cheesecake Day
Weirdly enough, the origins of Cheesecakes are not known to us but Cheesecakes can be traced as early back to Ancient Greece. The recipe used back then only consisted of the most basic ingredients such as Cheese, Flour, and Honey. Interestingly, Cheesecake was fed to the Greek Athletes during the Olympics held back in 776 B.C. It was not until when the Romans conquered Ancient Greece that Eggs and proper baking methods were introduced.
As time went by, the recipe was modified several times to get that perfect ratio of smooth to creamy consistency, and this led us to the American Cheesecake that we all know and love! In 1872, New York dairyman William Lawrence unintentionally came up with Cream Cheese while he was trying to replicate a French Cheese called the Neufchatel. Talk about luck, right! Cream Cheese became so popular and the demand for Cream Cheese became so high that it was packaged and distributed to all the local stores in the area.
Time went by, and an immigrant named Arnold Reuben from Germany, who lived in New York, was once served Cheese Pie at an event he attended. He was so fascinated and intrigued by the dessert, that he decided to experiment with the recipe until he came up with what we know today as the New York Cheesecake.
The popularity of the New York Cheesecake increased so much that different cities came up with their own versions, for example, the Chicago Cheesecake, the Pennsylvanian Cheesecake, etc. It became such an important part of American Culture, that in 1985, it was decided that on July 30th every year National Cheesecake Day would be celebrated.
Five Food Finds about Cheesecake:
- Pennsylvania Dutch-style Cheesecake uses a slightly tangy type of Cheese with larger Curds and less Water content, called Pot or Farmer’s Cheese.
- Philadelphia-style Cheesecake is lighter in texture, yet richer in flavor than New York Style Cheesecake.
- Farmer’s Cheese Cheesecake is the contemporary implementation for the traditional use of baking to preserve fresh Cheese and is often baked in a Cake form along with Fresh Fruit like a Tart.
- Country-style Cheesecake uses Buttermilk to produce a firm texture while decreasing the pH (increasing acidity) to extend shelf life.
- Lactose Free cheesecake may be made either with Lactose-free Cream Cheese or as an imitation using Vegan recipes combining Non-dairy Cream Cheese alternatives with other Lactose-free ingredients.
Strawberry Cheesecake Recipe
- 1 ¼ cups Graham Cracker Crumbs
- ¼ cup white Sugar
- 2 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
- ⅓ cup Butter, melted
- 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen Sweetened Sliced Strawberries, thawed and drained
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 3 (8 ounce) packages Cream cheese, softened
- 1 (14 ounce) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
- ¼ cup Lemon Juice
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 3 Eggs
- 1 tablespoon Water (Optional)
- Step 1 Combine Graham cracker Crumbs, Sugar, Cinnamon, and Butter in a bowl. Press onto the bottom of an ungreased 9-inch Springform Pan. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Step 2 Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
- Step 3 Place Strawberries and Cornstarch into a blender. Cover and puree until smooth. Pour Strawberry Sauce into a saucepan.
- Step 4 Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil and stir until sauce is thick and shiny, about 2 minutes. Set aside 1/3 cup Strawberry Sauce; cool. Cover and refrigerate remaining sauce for serving.
- Step 5 Beat Cream Cheese in a mixing bowl with an Electric Mixer until light and fluffy; gradually beat in Condensed Milk. Mix in Lemon Juice and Vanilla Extract, then beat in Eggs on low speed until just combined. Pour half of Cream Cheese mixture over Crust; drop half of reserved Strawberry Sauce by 1/2 teaspoonfuls on Cream Cheese layer. Carefully spoon remaining Cream Cheese mixture over Sauce; drop remaining Strawberry Sauce by 1/2 teaspoonfuls on top. Cut through top layer only with a knife to swirl Strawberry Sauce.
- Step 6 Bake in preheated oven until center is almost set, 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Serve reserved strawberry sauce with cheesecake. If the sauce it too thick, stir in Water
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
