Cozy up with dessert

(Photo: Guram Dolenjashvili)

The thermometer is telling us we are in the dead of winter. Perhaps it was the void created after the decadence of Christmas, or maybe it was me thinking of dancing penguins and that expanse of polar ice cap, but any way you look at it, we are not enjoying global warming in our neck of the woods this week. Where we live, Old Man Winter is not only alive and well; he is throwing a party for Jack Frost and all his other friends. They have uncovered the frigid pool (no hot tub for them!) and they are making up frozen cocktails; they are settling in for a rockin’ good time. With that in mind, I decided to offer up a few suggestions for a wonderful winter party. What better way to warm up a room than the company of good friends and some heartwarming food!

Martin and I decided that we are going to have a cheese fondue party this weekend. We will exercise our minds and souls with riveting conversation and camaraderie. We can think about getting out next weekend to burn off the calories we will consume! That brings me to other ideas you can try to help fight off the cold…

• Have an après-ski party (or après-toboganning) – a few appies are good, or even grilled cheese sandwiches can be fun; you can use imported cheese or bread for a more grown-up theme, or dunk them in bowls of tomato soup if you want to reminisce (that was my favourite childhood thing on a winter day)

• Take your dog out for an extra walk – many of our four-legged friends get less exercise in the winter too, so they will appreciate it and their enthusiasm may rub off. Reward yourself afterwards with a nice cup of tea and a piece of winter cheesecake…

Oreo Cookie Cheesecake

10 inch pan, buttered

• 1250 g cream cheese (5 packs)
• 2 cups of sugar
• 1 whole lemon juice and zest
• 250 ml whipping cream (35%)
• 6 eggs
• 12 Oreo cookies

Preheat your oven at 325F.The cheesecake will bake on the middle rack, and you also need a pan with water on the bottom rack to create steam inside.

In your food processor, mix together cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice. Once you have a smooth mixture, add your cream and eggs by hand in a large bowl.

Pour the batter in your greased pan and add 6 to 8 cookies in chopped in pieces all over the pan.

Bake until the filling has a uniformed jiggling, around 2 hours but it could take longer.

Let it rest in the fridge overnight or for best results, two days. Decorate with fresh whipped cream and the remaining Oreo cookies on top.

• Catch up with an old friend – you know, that “When Harry Met Sally” thing. Winter is a good time to swap stories with someone you may not see often. Cozy memories will warm you up, and you can commemorate the event with “Pee-can Pie” (you have to say it the way Billy Crystal did in the movie – remember that scene?) As a sidebar here, I will mention that if your old friends are all a world away like mine, you can just as easily send them an e-mail and then cuddle up yourself with a piece of pie. It would be great to send them a piece of pie to enjoy too, but I don’t recommend trying to put Pecan Pie in an envelope!  If you want the recipe, click here.

If all else fails, try the “if you can’t beat ‘em” philosophy… try watching a winter movie like “Happy Feet” to boost your spirits. If your sense of humour is a bit warped by the cold, you can try “Fargo”, or if you feel overwhelmed by the bleakness of it all, well then “Dr. Zhivago” is the thing for you. (A cup of hot cocoa might be needed to survive all that cold, though.)

Stay warm! See you next week.

Kristin

This article is written by or on behalf of an outsourced columnist and does not necessarily reflect the views of Castanet.