The Baker

More than 10 years ago I dated a baker. He had big brown eyes, a dreamy look and a constant expression of someone who's completely lost. With a past including a year in the Hari Krishna cult, attempts to hurt himself, and unclear future, he was, perhaps, lost and undateable. But he baked me a baguette with my name on it. He baked me a doggie, which stood on the window shelf in my old St Botolph apartment and watched the quiet street below with sad eyes. He baked me a wonderful cheese cake. And he disappeared one day with no explanation, a few short weeks after we met, while I was going through a nasty flu that kept me in bed for a week.

Why did I date him? Perhaps I was young and stupid. Scratch that - I wasn't that young anymore, just a bit lost myself after the end of my first and longest relationship. It hurt, but eventually I moved on, and after a few months the doggie moved on as well.

I haven't seen Joey since, but I still make his cheese cake recipe from time to time. I wrote it down while watching him making it with no recipe and no measurements. It's a wonderful recipe - easy, forgiving, and open to improvisation. Add or remove a cup of cheese or cream, or even add an egg or two - it won't make a big difference.

Here's for you, Joey, and all the other lost souls out there. Have a piece of cake!

Joey’s Cheesecake

Crust:

• 1 cup graham crackers, crushed 
• 50 gr melted butter (4 TBSP) or sour cream 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 

Filling:

• 700 gr cream cheese 
• 1.5 cups sour cream 
• 1 cup heavy cream 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 
• 2 TBSP cornstarch (not corn flour!) 
• 1 tsp baking powder 
• 1 TBSP lemon juice 

Topping:

• 2 cups blueberries 
• ¼ cup sugar 
• 1 TBSP cornstarch 

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. 
2. Mix the crust and pad into a large round baking pan (11’’ or so). 
3. Mix the dry ingredient of the filling; mix in cheese and cream; add the rest and pour on top. 
4. Bake for an hour or more, until the top is golden brown and a little soft. 
5. Mix blueberries, sugar and cornstarch in a small pot, and cook over low flame for 10 minutes (a little more if the blueberries are frozen). 
6. After the cake cools a bit, cover it with the topping and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.

Spring Recital, March 27 2011

Home recording, Chopin's Nocturne in D flat Op. 27 #2

Taalul update

It was time. I neglected my website, taalul.com, for too long. For a while, instead of uploading pictures I created links to facebook albums. It turns out that these public links expire after a while, and none of my recent albums were available. It took a while but I've uploaded all the pictures up to 2011.

Then there are my friends and my family pages. Some friends have expired (no, they're not dead, just not my friends any more), and one very important guy was missing. With my family, the kids grow so fast! The pictures had to be updated, and of course include the newest addition, the 2.5 years old Oded.

And having done that, I had to update the main page, and start thinking about a new music page, and more work to do... which got me tired. I guess I'll need another lazy cold snowy weekend to make more progress. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the update.