HOMECOOKINGCHRONICLES
No Bake Cheesecake
BY BRIAN MEDFORD
I’ve been called a lot of names in my life,
some good and others not so great. I have
deserved most of the not so great ones. My
favorite thing to be called is U.B. I have six
nieces and nephews, and I can still remember
my niece, who was 5 or 6 at the time, telling
her friend that my real name was uncle Brian,
but that everyone called me U.B. for short.
Families are a funny thing. Who else can
be your strongest defenders and your great-
est agitators, sometimes all at once? Families
come together at holidays to cook, eat, cel-
ebrate tradition and to irritate each other. As
I’ve often said, “it’s not a family holiday until
somebody cries.”
Almost every Easter, my younger nieces,
nephews and I have made a bunny shaped
cake and decorated it with Easter candy.
When we started this tradition, the kids relied
on me to bake and compose the entire cake.
More recently, I’ve brought the components,
sat back and watched them work. There have
been some interesting fi nal outcomes, includ-
ing unruly Twizzler licorice eyebrows and a
bunny with a blackened eye. Sometimes I’ve
wondered if there’s any frosting at all under
the candy.
We’ve had bunny cake laughter, delight,
bickering, and tears (caused by me when I
once forgot to bring Peeps). Now the kids
are getting older and unfortunately this year I
won’t see them for Easter. I’ll remember the
bunny cake magic, but this time around I’ll
switch to a simpler treat for the holiday.
As the family continues to gather for Eas-
ter, I know that one day I’ll be able to revive
the bunny cake tradition with the next gen-
eration. Although G.U.B., for Great Uncle
Brian, doesn’t have quite the same appeal as
U.B., the younger kids can call me whatever
they want.
No Bake Cheesecake
Adapted from Nigella Lawson, serves six
to eight.
This bake is only slightly fussy, as it
works best in a spring form pan. If you don’t
have one, don’t worry, a standard 8 inch
pan will also work. The cheesecake slices
will be slightly more rustic when cut and
removed from a standard cake pan, but it’s
still delicious.
• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 10 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cup heavy cream
• Fresh fruit or preserves as topping.
Combine the graham cracker crumbs,
melted butter, granulated sugar and salt in
a medium bowl and mix until it begins to
clump. Then, press the mixture into an 8 inch
springform pan, press a little up the sides to
form a slight ridge.
Brian Medford
A delicious cheesecake topped with fresh
strawberries.
Beat together the cream cheese, confec-
tioners’ sugar, vanilla extract, and lemon
juice in a bowl until smooth. Lightly whip
the heavy cream, and then fold it into the
cream cheese mixture. Spoon the fi lling on
top of the graham cracker base and smooth
with a spatula. Put it in the fridge for 3 hours
or overnight.
When you are ready to serve the cheese-
cake, unmold and fi nish with fresh fruit or
preserves on top.
Brian Medford is the owner of Idlewild
Biscuits and Bakes in Astoria. He teaches
cooking classes at The Pantry in Seattle.
Contact him at blmedford@gmail.com
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