Day Eleven: I Have Cheesecake! (Part Two)

So with cheesecake prepared, we anxiously awaited the arrival of our guests so that the feasting could begin.  All together, we ended up with four different cheesecakes for eight tasters.  This works itself out to half a cheesecake per person.  Not too shabby!  Postpartum weight loss, here I come!

Pictured here is a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake from my original cheesecake friend, Jessica; a Chai Tea Cheesecake with Creme Brulee Topping from our ambitious friend, Kevin; a Coconut Cheesecake with Passion Fruit Glaze from our culinary expert, Beth; and my Key (Lemon) Lime Cheesecake.   

As you can see, I'm the only one who cut corners with the crust.  However, I figure odds are that I am also the only contestant who juiced key limes with a baby in a front pack, so that counts for something, right?!  You should note that not only did my friends make their crusts from scratch, but that in addition to the traditional graham cracker crust pictured here, there is also a gingersnap crust and a coconut graham cracker crust.  Show offs!  

We decided to taste the cheesecakes in the manner of a wine tasting.  Each was presented with a detailed description and tried one at a time.  It was quite lovely, actually...  and a recipe was provided for each as requested.  The cheesecakes were also paired with the option of a nice dessert Riesling, rum and cokes with key lime juice, beer or scotch...  Classy.

So, in addition to the novel experience of  making a cheesecake the day before, today I was able to have and attend my first gathering dedicated to the cheesecake, and was able to experience four novel flavors.  However, in addition to the overall experience there were also several important lessons learned...  

First, I can now tell you what a springform pan is, though I still do not own one.  Second, I now know that a New York style cheesecake calls for sour cream and a Chai Tea style cheesecake calls for black pepper!  And, most importantly, I learned that cheesecake can be enjoyed in good times as well as bad.  New jobs, new relationships, new projects, new babies...  We are a fortunate group right now with a lot to be grateful for!  So this may just be the first time I've actually celebrated my friends' successes over cheesecake rather than lamenting our struggles.  And that, my dear reader, is something that I could definitely get used to!