Milky Way Dreamy Cheesecake
Yield: About 10 servings

“From New York? I could tell. New Yorkers are so alive--you never talk about the weather!”

From the moment we sat down in her dairy restaurant, the Milky Way, ebullient Leah Adler, the consummate Jewish mother, charmed and cosseted us. She steered us to homey gems like thick, oniony potato latkes spiked with jalapenos and pillowy cheese blintzes with chunky strawberry preserves.

We told her that we had come to Los Angeles with my sister Sami and niece Arielle to pick up food for the Kiddush that would follow my daughter’s bat mitzvah the next day. During her senior year at Pomona College, Alex, in between writing two theses, acting in one play and translating a second, had decided to learn Hebrew and celebrate her bat mitzvah at age 21, at the school Hillel center.

Leah was visibly touched. “You must celebrate with dessert,” she insisted. Dreamy Cheesecake, it was titled on the menu, and our gracious hostess assured us it was her favorite dish at the restaurant.

It seems oxymoronic to describe it as incredibly light and rich, but that is Dreamy Cheesecake. When I asked Leah for the recipe to include in this book, she sprinted to the kitchen to copy down her chef’s measurements. “It’s so simple, honey. Just use it--no need to give me any credit.”

Then she led us beyond the dining room to tour the photos and posters from her son Steven Spielberg’s movies.

The consummate Jewish mother.

This is Dreamy Cheesecake, set in an easy graham-cracker crust.

Ingredients:
For the Crust
1 1/3 cups graham cracker crumbs (swirl crushed crackers in a food processor until finely ground)
2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for greasing the pan

For the Batter
2 cups creamy small-curd cottage cheese (16 ounces)
1 ½  pounds cream cheese (three 8-ounce packages)
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
½  teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
Have all the batter ingredients at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350F.

Prepare the crust: in a small bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and melted butter, using your fingertips or a spoon. Generously butter the bottom and sides of a 10-inch springform pan. Spoon in the crumb mixture, then shake and rotate the pan to distribute it evenly over the bottom. Using your fingertips, gently press the crumbs into the bottom and about 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan. Unless you’re sure your springform is perfectly waterproof, wrap it tightly around the outside with foil. Place the pan in the freezer for about 15 minutes to firm up the crust.

Make the batter: Spoon the cottage cheese into a fine-mesh strainer placed over a bowl. Rubbing and scraping with the back of a wooden spoon or rubber scraper, press the cheese through the strainer into the bowl.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with the sugar on low speed until creamy smooth. Continuing on low speed, beat in the eggs, one at a time, the vanilla, and then the cottage cheese. Beat just until the batter is satiny smooth; don’t overbeat the ingredients. Mix at low speed to prevent air bubbles (the batter should not be foamy), and remember to scrape down the bowl after each addition.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the cake is set around the edges, puffed and golden, but still slightly soft and quivering in the center. Turn off the heat and let the cheese cake cool in the oven with the door open for about an hour.

Place the cake on a rack and cool to room temperature. Cover the room temperature cake loosely with wax paper, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. Release the sides of the springform before serving. Best enjoyed at room temperature or lightly chilled, not icy cold.