Monday Martha Moment #11

Cheesecake Comeback

The last few weeks have been a lot. My life has been lifing, as they say. In the last two weeks my oldest had five days off of school, dance and soccer started, and my husband and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary with a staycation in downtown Chicago. Needless to say, the Martha Challenge took a brief pause. But I’m back. I couldn’t have picked a better recipe to ease into things than Martha’s classic cheesecake.

If you know me, you know I love dessert. I’m that person who can’t end dinner without something sweet. Cheesecake isn’t usually my go-to, but if it’s there, I’m not saying no. This recipe was surprisingly simple, though I decided to skip the water bath (I had no idea what it actually did, and curiosity got the best of me).

I baked it in a ceramic pie dish with a baking sheet underneath just in case, and to my surprise, it turned out beautifully.

The real star? The graham cracker crust. It struck that perfect balance of salty and sweet. I topped the cheesecake with a mixed berry compote, which paired perfectly with the hint of lemon zest baked into the filling.

While cheesecake still isn’t my ride or die dessert, this one won over my toughest critic, my mother-in-law. She mmediately requested another for her birthday. So I’d say this one’s a keeper and officially joining my dessert rotation.