When I first perused the unpublished manuscript for Fania Lewando’s 1938 cookbook Vegetarish-Dietisher Kokhbukh—before Schocken Books published the English edition titled The Vilna Vegetarian Cookbook in 2015—I was struck by the beauty of its mouthwatering illustrations and the wide range of its vegetarian recipes. It was truly a piece of Jewish culinary history that must be told and shared.
Passover Cheesecake
April 21, 2021
Ingredients
- 6tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1tablespoon matzo meal
- 6large eggs
- 2cups farmer or ricotta cheese
- ⅓cup sugar
- 2tablespoons sour cream
- ½teaspoon cinnamon
- Dash salt
- 1cup blueberries, plus more for garnish
- 4matzos
- 1tablespoon cinnamon sugar (optional)
Yield: 10-12 servings
Preparation
- Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and brush the bottom and sides of a 9-inch spring form pan with about one tablespoon of the melted butter, and then sprinkle with matzo meal.
- Step 2
Separate 3 eggs and set the whites aside. Put 4 tablespoons of the melted butter in a bowl and stir in the cheese, 3 whole eggs, 3 egg yolks, the sugar, sour cream, cinnamon, and salt. Mix until creamy, then gently fold in the blueberries.
- Step 3
Whisk the 3 leftover egg whites on high using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Carefully fold into the cheese mixture.
- Step 4
Soak the matzos in cold water for 5 minutes. Line the bottom and sides of the spring form pan with half the matzos to make a thick layer of crust and pour in the cheese batter. Layer the remaining matzos on top and brush with remaining butter. If you like, sprinkle a little cinnamon sugar on top.
- Step 5
Place in the middle rack and bake in the oven for 60 to 70 minutes or until golden and crispy on top. Cool and serve with additional berries for garnish.
Adapted from The Vilna Vegetarian Cookbook by Fania Lewando