Stressed over Desserts?

"You're a personal trainer who makes custom cheesecakes? How does that work?" is a question that is asked of me with some regularity. I wasn't kidding when I promised to publish recipes for the best desserts on the internet!

Dessert gets a bad rap sometimes. Ever feel guilty about eating it? Ever turn it away because you shouldn't? Because it's baaaaaad?

It's taken me a long time to get to where I can even ponder dessert without getting stressed: how will I make it and avoid eating it? What's my strategy going to be to deal with dessert in front of me? What are people going to think of me if I eat dessert? Am I a hypocrite?

When I was in my early 20's and on Weight Watchers, we were taught to eat around what we really wanted. Want a fresh, soft chocolate chip cookie? Here, try these Snackwells! Want ice cream? Have
some sugar-free pudding! Which led of course to eating way too much of the wrong things. Later, when I was dieting with a well-known former body builder, he told me I was a mess. I didn't WILL those cravings away which meant that I was weak and pathetic and had seriously misplaced priorities. Registered Dieticians said to have the dessert but only 150kCal of it.

With all the mixed messages out there, is it any wonder that dessert - what is supposed to be the culmination, the jewel in the crown of a good meal - has turned into something to stress over and strategize for? Or maybe the problem is that generally we just eat too much shit. That could be, too.

Here's what I think. Desserts DESERVE to be awesome. They NEED to be amazing. If they aren't, then there's no point in eating them. Hands up, who feels good after eating a sugar bomb that tastes like cardboard with edible-oil-product icing? Gross, right?

Right. I have gotten seriously picky about desserts; I don't eat them often so when I do decide to have a dessert, it better induce some rockin' multiple mouthgasms.

So with that in mind, here is my recipe for a basic New York Cheesecake -  this is serious guys, I have not shared my cheesecake recipes with anyone, ever. THAT's how much I love you!

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and grease an 8" springform pan with butter. No substitutes. Actually, no substitutes or shortcuts for anything - you want amazing cheesecake, so do it right. I promise it's worth it. 

2. Combine 1 cup graham crumbs, 2 tbsp melted butter, and 1tbsp cane sugar in a bowl until the mixture looks like wet sand. Press that wet sand into an even layer on the bottom of your springform.

3. In a giant bowl, mix 1kg cream cheese (I said this was serious shit, right?), 1/2 cup cane sugar, and 2 tbsp cornstarch. When that's evenly mixed, add six eggs, mixing after each 2.

4. Put the electric mixer away and use a spoon from now on. Gently stir in 1/2 cup whipping cream, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 tbsp vanilla extract, 1 tbsp vanilla bean powder, and 1/4 cup spiced rum.

5. Gently and lovingly pour the giant bowl of cheesecake batter into your springform, being careful not to disturb the crust, and place it in the centre of the oven.

6. Bake at 350F for 20min. Then bake at 200F for 2.5 hours. Then turn the oven off but leave the cheesecake in for another 8 hours. Chill in the fridge for 12-24 hours. Congratulations, your cheesecake is ready!

Garnish with fruit or Kahlua sauce or whatever tickles your fancy, then find a warm rock to lay down on while you enjoy your sense of oneness with the universe.

YYYEEEAAAAHHHH.