Scribbles & Munch

      Now that August draws to a close, it's pretty safe to say that I've heard back from all the agents who are going to respond regarding my ghost novel. Of 44 queried, I've heard back from just over half, which is pretty good. Twenty-one declined outright, which I expected. Actually, I was fairly impressed; their rejections were, for the most part, very professional and even gracious. This left me feeling positive about the experience. (I say "for the most part" because there was one rejection which was flat-out rude. It was short and curt--like she wrote it on her phone while stuck in traffic and was too annoyed with the world to bother with anything resembling manners. Of course I won't give the name of this agent, but she will not be receiving any future submissions from me, and if friends of mine consider querying her in the future I will quietly dissuade them.)
      I did have three agents express an interest in reading more material, which I provided. One has not yet gotten back to me, so there is still a faint possibility I may actually get somewhere with this project, but I'm not going to bet the farm. Of the other two, both were polite and professional. One gave me some very useful feedback, which I've already applied. The other said that my story was "cheesy."
      To be fair, she might be right. My story might be cheesy. I honestly can't tell, because I'm in it too deep. If a fish can't tell that it's wet, a writer can't always tell how her story reads, we're just too close to it. If I shelve it, put it aside for a year or more, and then come back to it, I can read it with fresh eyes and get much better impressions. But right now I'm so intimately familiar with every verb and comma I can't see the forest for the trees.
      All the same..."cheesy." It's a little insulting. Some adjectives ride the fence, like "dramatic" or "weird"--those could be compliments just as easily as they could be derogatory. But "cheesy" has a distinct flavor (so to speak), and it's not a pleasant one. It got me down--just a tad. I grumbled for a bit. For about half a day, to be precise. Then I thought, "Well, if life says you're cheesy, then make cheese cake!" And my mood instantly improved!

Because why the hell not?

      Full blown cheesecakes serve twelve people, easily. They're large and rich and wonderful and entirely too much for my husband to eat on our own before the pastry passes its prime. So I went for a smaller, slightly less tricky variation: a cheesecake tart.* This is a little quicker, a little easier, and just as mouth-watering as your regular cheesecake. And since it's in a crust, it's sort of a pie...thing.

Z.D.'s Almond Cardamom Cheesecake Tart

For the Spiced Almond Crust:

8 Tablespoons (1 stick) butter

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

ginger sugar + vanilla sugar to = 1/2 Cup

2 Tablespoons almond meal

1&1/2 C flour

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

pinch ground ginger

 - Cut the butter into slices and melt slowly over low heat on the stove, or in few second intervals in microwave--you only want this to melt, not to bubble or brown! Remove from heat, stir in the extracts, and set aside to cool for at least 10 minutes.

What the heck is ginger sugar, you ask? If you keep crystalized ginger on hand (which I always do), a lot of the sugar falls to the bottom of the bag/canister. That's ginger sugar.

 - Shake out whatever ginger sugar you've got in your bag (I had about two teaspoons worth) and then add vanilla sugar to make a total of 1/2 Cup. Put it in a medium bowl and add the flour, almond meal, and spices.

 - Pour in the butter mixture and toss with a fork until evenly mixed. Transfer to a 10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom, and press dough to make an even crust. The nice things about this crust? You don't have to pre-bake it, or even chill it! Just set is aside while you get started on the filling!

I use my fingers to start the pressing process, then finish with a flat-bottomed glass to make an even bottom and firm sides (the pattern on the crust will get covered up, so who cares).

For the Cardamom Cheesecake Filling:

16 oz cream cheese, at room temperature

2 teaspoons cardamom

pinch of ground ginger

2/3 Cup vanilla sugar

1 large egg

1/2 Cup plain Greek yogurt (the really, really thick stuff)

1 Tablespoon sweet white wine (such as dessert Riesling) OR 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

 - Preheat your oven to 375º F. Put the cream cheese and spices in a large work bowl. Using either some serious arm muscles and a good whisk, or an electric hand-held beater, beat the cream cheese & spices until very creamy. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy.

 - Add in the remaining ingredients one at a time, beating thoroughly after each one. The secret to a good cheesecake ANYTHING is good mixing, so take your time and be thorough: no lumps, no clumps.  When done, pour your mixture into the crust, and spread until smooth on top.

 - Bake for 35 minutes, until just browning on top and only ever-so-slightly wiggly when you shake it. Cool on a rack for at least an hour, then refrigerate for another three hours before serving.

See? Feedback can be inspiring!

Wrapped well, this will keep in the fridge about three days. This dessert is creamy, sweet, and the spices add a wonderful enhancing flavor. I like to serve this with slices of banana on top, but berries are a nice colorful touch as well. Or, if you're going for more of a sugar rush, drizzle a good caramel over the top. Serve thin slices with coffee for an evening treat, or slightly larger slices with a lot of fruit and call it breakfast...as above.



*Which, by all rights, should be called a cheese tart, but that automatically brings a quiche-type pastry to mind, so that's out.