During my early days as a restaurateur I experimented constantly, I had started the business without knowing how to cook and basically flew by the seat of my pants for the first couple of years! “The Joy of Cooking” was my bible; that recipe book was by far the best wedding gift Mac and I had been given, I referred to it constantly over the years and still do. My cooking skills gradually improved, the book providing helpful guidelines as I struggled to get my hands on ingredients unheard of in this part of the Caribbean. Learning how to improvise was definitely a challenge, I had to make do with whatever was available on the island and was often frustrated.
The day came when I tried my hand at cheesecake, a dessert many customers had been requesting. Pulling my bible from the shelf, I turned to the cheesecake section and scratched my head. The book offered recipes for gelatin, ricotta, sour cream or whipped cream cheesecakes, and I decided to try the sour cream version even though sour cream wasn’t available in the shops back then. The crust called for Zwieback (I didn’t even know what that WAS!) or graham cracker crumbs, and as neither were sold on Bequia I would have to improvise.
My first attempt wasn’t perfect, although the crust I made with ground ginger snaps moistened with melted butter was “spot on”. The filling was quite simple – I used 3 eggs, 2 packages of Philadelphia cream cheese, ½ cup of sugar and a tsp. of lime juice. Once the cake had baked until firm I dusted it with cinnamon, then whipped up 1 ½ cups of my homemade yoghurt instead of sour cream, adding 2 tablespoons of sugar and a teaspoon of vanilla. The cheesecake had to go back in the oven for a bit, then cooled on a rack before refrigerating. The yoghurt topping wasn’t ideal (it was a bit runny), but Bequia’s first cheesecake was definitely a hit!
I was pleased when sour cream finally made an appearance in the grocery stores, it made the cheesecake’s taste and texture much better. I began adding passion fruit liqueur to the cake mixture, giving the dessert a delicious Caribbean twist. I’ve tasted many different types of cheesecake in my lifetime, and in my opinion the sour cream recipe from “The Joy of Cooking”, with the addition of local fruit flavours, remains the best.
Some friends recently gifted us with a bottle of chocolate liqueur, a smooth, creamy and utterly delicious drink made with rum and Grenadian chocolate. As soon as I tasted the flavourful concoction my brain shouted, “chocolate cheesecake!”, and I decided to give it a whirl. We haven’t tasted it yet but I know it’s going to be good, especially when topped with some fresh mango puree. Yum!
It’s easy to use flavourful Caribbean ingredients not called for in traditional recipes, all it takes is “The Joy of Cooking” and a little bit of imagination….
*Update – the chocolate liqueur cheesecake was downright exquisite, mango puree topping wasn’t necessary*.