Grazing Food and a Recommended Read

Today, amidst all the thesis work -- and perhaps even because of it -- I had my first catering gig. About a week ago I got the request for a "grazing" menu from a favorite lit professor of mine; and after some initial wondering about how I could possibly be qualified for such a task, I accepted.


So, happily, I spent today cooking. I made my favorite onion tart, ever-popular pesto rolls, and an ale and cheese spread with toasted French bread for savoury options, and I rounded out the menu with fruit kabobs and a taffy apple dip and my mother's aunt's cherry cheesecake tarts. Everything smelled delicious, let me tell you. I hope all the party guests enjoy.

Before I leave you with the cherry cheesecake tart recipe -- one you'll surely want to try, especially as it gets warmer and more toward picnic season -- I want to recommend Molly at Orangette's fantastic new book. I've loved her blog since I started reading food blogs about a year ago, and I've tried a few of her recipes from Bon Appetit, so it's really no wonder I essentially devoured her food memoir. I cannot wait to try some of the recipes, all of which sound fabulous. Read it, I know you'll love it.


Cherry Cheesecake Tarts
from my mom's Auntie Emagene

crust:
vanilla wafers

cheesecake filling:
2 8-oz pkgs cream cheese, at room temperature
3/4 c sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs

topping:
cherry pie filling

Put one vanilla wafer, flat side down, in the bottom of a paper liner in each cupcake pan section.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla, mixing with an electric mixer until well blended. Blend in the eggs. Pour the cheesecake mixture over the vanilla wafers, filling each cup 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes.
Let the tarts cool completely before dalloping pie filling on the top of each. Chill until ready to serve.