Recently, a Facebook friend of mine posted a marvelous photo of a slice of cheesecake that literally made me drool. Me, who is known not to be into sweet things really! So, I asked her for the recipe. Only to be utterly surprised. But I’ll return to this later.
You wouldn’t believe how old the idea of cheesecake is – it reaches back into the 5th century B.C., when a Greek physician wrote about the art of making cheesecake. Cato the Older even described three different types of the food, one of which with the name of “placenta” allegedly comes closest to our modern-day variety. An English cookbook from 1390 presents a recipe for cheesecake which made some people believe that cheesecake was an English invention. Well, you and I know better now (Thank you, Wikipedia!). Our modern version of cheesecake – remove the yeast from the dough, add the eggs – arrived in Europe only in the 18th century. American cream cheese was invented only in 1872. Enter: the real American cheesecake with cream cheese and an unbaked basis.
Well, of course, I grew up with a German cheesecake variant, made from quark (a fresh acid-set cheese) and baked. My mother later abolished the dough part and put citrus juices and almonds into the quark custard she baked. I liked it a bit better than the other recipe with the dough, but I still never was a fan of it.
It must have been in the very early 1980s that my grandmother returned from a visit to family in Maine and dished us our first unbaked American cheesecake. I immediately fell in love with the flavors and the texture. YUMMEE! Unfortunately, the rest of my family never liked it, and so the recipe was lost either in the piles of loose recipes my mother collected or simply tossed. Either way, I never forgot my first encounter with the rich flavors of American cheesecake.
Thirty years after that first taste, I immigrated to the US, minus a shelf-yard of cookbooks, among them my first one that was given me by my grandmother. I became part of the Steilacoom Historical Museum Association’s Education Committee (no, I’m not wearing that hat anymore …). And I already rued I had given away my grandmother’s cookbook. What does one have to do with the other?
About a year into my museum activities, one of the committee members, Buzz Brake, who had become a wonderful friend, offered me a German cookbook. “You can have a look at it and then decide if you want it.” Guess my amazement, when it turned out that Buzz’ cookbook was exactly the same edition my grandmother had given me. And on opening it up – out came a recipe card … for the same kind of American cheesecake my grandmother had made way back when!
Don’t ask me where the card has gone, these days. Remember, I’m not much one for making sweet food. I guess it’s in MY collection of loose recipes now. Not really loose, but glued into a book. I’d have to search. Or did I maybe lose it after all?
In comes my Facebook friend Jaynie Jones, who posted this finger-licking good photo of her latest cheesecake creation. I don’t know how many recipe requests she received for it. Turns out the recipe comes from her mother-in-law, who used to make this cake for the lunch room of Woolworth’s for over 20 years. But when I read the ingredients of the recipe, I almost choked and teared up a little. You may have guessed it already. It was the same American cheesecake that my grandmother had made way back when.
What I draw from this story? Well, it may sound a bit cheesy for some of you, but I feel that some things are not meant to be ditched or lost. If you do, they keep returning to you nilly-willy. If they do, you better call them keepsakes.
Susanne,
Jaynie is a wonder. I was thinking of her and that cheesecake at Joeseppi’s last night. I ordered one and shared with my wife Peggy . . . while still dreaming of the huge piece in Jaynie’s post. I never had that cheese cake (yet!), but I certainly ate at Woolworth’s a time or two years and years ago.
Thanks for sharing.
Don
How fun! And I had no idea that you knew each other! Isn’t this huge world sometimes a miraculously small place where like-minded people keep finding each other?! I have been to Woolworth’s only once or twice in Germany – I’m pretty sure it was NOT the experience one would have had in an American one. I can’t even remember them having a lunch room. Not to talk of American cheesecake.
And indeed, Jaynie is a wonder. I’m so happy that I met her – if only virtually – through The Suburban Times.
We will have to remedy that situation (your having not had my cheesecake) soon! 🙂
One of these days, Don! The next time I make one, which hopefully will be in the next few weeks, I’ll be sure to let you and Peg know. We’ll have to figure out a way to either bring some samples over to your house or to have you stop by here so we can send some home with you.
Susanne, yes, Don has been a great supporter of my show on Boss Country Radio. He even devoted one of his columns in early April in The Suburban Times to my zany radio career. https://thesubtimes.com/2020/04/03/jaynie-dillon-radio-personality-plus/
I always read Don’s articles, and as soon as I read the first sentence of this one, I remembered it was the beginning of such an extraordinary story! Wonderful!
Could you please share the recipe or provide a link?
Thank you.
I will ask Jaynie whether it’s okay … It’s hers after all.
I sent it to you in an email.
Here you go, Susan! Enjoy…
My best, Jaynie Jones
Woolworth’s Cheesecake
Woolworth’s Cheesecake is a no-bake classic dessert with a graham cracker crust and yummy lemon flavor. There is good reason for this dessert to be so famous!
Prep Time 20 mins
Chill 4 hours
Servings: 12
Ingredients
Crust Ingredients:
• 3 cups of graham cracker crumbs about 3 sleeves
• 1/2 cup of sugar
• 1 stick of butter – melted
Filling Ingredients:
• 6 ounce box of lemon Jell-o
• 2 cups of boiling water
• 3, 8 ounce packages of cream cheese – softened
• 1-1/2 cups of sugar
• 1/3 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon of Vanilla
• 2-1/4 cups of heavy whipping cream
Instructions
1. Boil the water in a saucepan, remove from heat.
2. Add the lemon Jell-o and stir until dissolved, set aside.
3. Place graham crackers in a blender or food processor and process to fine crumbs.
4. Melt the stick of butter in the microwave.
5. Place the graham cracker crumbs in a 9 X 13 dish and stir in the 1/2 cup of sugar.
6. Pour the melted butter into the crumbs and stir until well coated.
7. Press 1/2 the crumbs evenly in the 9 X 13 dish (reserve half for the topping).
8. In the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, pour the heavy whipping cream in the bowl and whip until stiff peaks form. (If you have 2 mixing bowls, then place this bowl in the refrigerator – if not, place the whipped cream in another bowl, and place the whipped cream in the refrigerator).
9. In the mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla. Mix until well blended.
10. Add the lemon Jell-o and mix well.
11. Gently fold in the whipped cream just until mixed.
12. Spread the filling in the 9 X 13 dish evenly and let set up for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
13. Sprinkle with remaining graham cracker crumbs.
14. Chill at least 4 hours, or overnight for best results.
15. Serve and Enjoy!
NOTE: If the filling is thin after you fold in the Whipped cream, it’s okay, it will set up, and get completely thickened in the refrigerator. Let the filling set in the refrigerator for about 1 hour before adding the reserved graham crackers for the topping.
Early in our marriage in the 1960s my wife and I would gravitate to Seattle for a fine dining experience. We found the New York Cheesecake at the then called Olympic Hotel was so special that we would buy the whole cake and take it home to share. It was really yummy. Wonderful memories!
Wonderful, indeed. You make my mouth water!