Ginger Cheesecake

Ginger is something that I have grown to appreciate. My mom would sneak it into food when I was little but my sister and I didn't like it and would protest dramatically when we tasted it. I pretty much avoided it until I moved to Portland to study acupuncture. To my dismay, I learned that ginger is a key herb in our Materia Medica, as it promotes healthy digestion, warms the digestion, stimulates the immune, and even kills parasites. Our Pacific Northwest climate is cold and damp--the kind of cold that seeps into your bones and slows you down--which means warming herbs such as ginger are even more important. Slowly I began to accept ginger into my life, and yet when I saw this cheesecake in Rose's Heavenly Cakes I initially thought, eew! I am happy to say that this cheesecake is delicious, and maybe, even slightly healthy.

April 25, 2011
Name of Cake: If You're Gonna Eat Cheesecake at Least Protect Your Spleen Qi
Occasion: HCB Free Cake Week
Constituents: cheesecake with ginger juice and a spicy gingersnap crust

Rose gives the recipe to make your own gingersnaps, and even make a bunch of cute gingerbread people to encircle the cake, but I opted out. I did buy a box of IKEA gingersnaps, which are cheap and delicious. Oh no, I have leftovers!

ALOT of leftovers

The cookies are crumbled with salt, mixed with melted butter, and pressed into the pan.

The ginger flavor comes from ginger juice, which you make by squeezing grated ginger and catching the juice. Grating the ginger is a tad time consuming, but only in comparison to the few minutes it takes to mix the batter. I'm not sure if I was supposed to strain the grated ginger through cheesecloth, but I just bundled up the grated stuff in my hand and squeezed out the juice.

the bundled up juiced ginger remains

The cheesecakes in this book are more sour cream than cream cheese, which creates a creamy, soft, tangy product.

I guess my oven was a little hot as the cheesecake browned by the end of the bake time.

It was hard to set this cake aside overnight in the refrigerator as I wanted to try it out immediately. I was so curious to see how I would like this gingery cheesecake.

maybe not the best representation of the cheesecake, but i like the light and detail anyways

I like it. You have to be at least okay with ginger to enjoy this cheesecake; five years ago I would not have enjoyed it at all. It is soft and creamy and I love the gingersnap crust. I know there isn't enough ginger to protect my Spleen Qi from all the dairy and sugar, but it is delicious enough to take the risk!