Caramel Cheesecake

Two weeks until Pearl arrives. Kayla is thirty-six weeks, enormous, radiant, exhausted, and working half-shifts at Memorial because she is a Henderson woman and Henderson women do not stop until the stopping is forced upon them by biology, gravity, or a doctor with a stern voice. Her doctor has the stern voice. The stern voice said: half-shifts only. Kayla complied. Grudgingly. With the same grudging compliance I showed when Dr. Kwan told me to stay off the knee, which is to say: she follows the letter of the law while pushing every boundary the law allows.

The freezer is full. Again. Twenty-four containers for Kayla and Devon, labeled and dated. The post-baby meals. The meals that will keep them fed in the first weeks when Pearl is new and Michael is twenty-two months old and the house is a beautiful chaos of diapers and bottles and a toddler who doesn't understand why the baby gets all the attention and who will express his lack of understanding by being loudly, persistently Henderson.

I've been thinking about what I'll say to Pearl when I hold her for the first time. I said "Michael, meet Michael" when I held baby Michael. What do I say to Pearl? How do I introduce a baby to her name — to MY mother's name, to the name that is on the cast iron skillet and the recipe box and the cornbread and the cobbler and every meal I have ever made?

I think I'll say: "Pearl, it's na-na. You're named after a woman who was the finest cook in Savannah, Georgia, and the strongest woman I ever knew, and the reason I stand at this stove. She is gone but she is here — in the skillet, in the box, in the flour on my hands. You are her name. You are her continuation. Welcome to the kitchen, baby. We've been waiting for you."

That's what I'll say. Or I'll cry too hard to say anything. Either way, the love arrives.

Made peach cobbler tonight. Practice. For the cobbler I promised — the best cobbler I've ever made, the day Pearl is born. The practice cobbler was good. The real one will be better. The real one has to be better. The real one is for Mama.

Now go on and feed somebody.

The practice cobbler turned out beautifully — golden, bubbling, exactly right — but I had caramel on my mind long after the last bite was gone. When you are making a promise as big as the one I made to Pearl, you practice everything: the cobbler, yes, but also the kind of deep, layered sweetness that says this day was worth celebrating. This caramel cheesecake is that kind of dessert. It takes patience and a steady hand, which is exactly what standing at Mama’s stove has always required of me, and exactly what holding a new baby named Pearl will require too.

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 65 min | Total Time: 5 hrs (includes chilling) | Servings: 12

Ingredients

Crust:
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Cheesecake Filling:
32 oz (4 packages) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature
Caramel Topping:
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup heavy cream, warmed
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

Instructions

Prepare the pan. Preheat oven to 325°F. Wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan tightly with two layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil to prevent any water from seeping in during the water bath.
Make the crust. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter until the mixture resembles wet sand. Press firmly and evenly into the bottom of the prepared springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.
Make the filling. In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and completely lump-free, about 3 minutes. Add sugar and beat another 2 minutes. Mix in sour cream, flour, and vanilla until just combined. Add eggs one at a time, beating on low speed after each addition — do not overmix once the eggs go in.
Bake in a water bath. Pour the filling over the cooled crust. Place the foil-wrapped springform pan into a large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to reach 1 inch up the side of the springform pan. Bake at 325°F for 55–65 minutes, until the edges are set and the center has a slight jiggle (about 2 inches across).
Cool gradually. Turn off the oven, crack the door open, and let the cheesecake rest in the oven for 1 hour. Remove from the water bath, run a thin knife around the edge, and cool completely on a wire rack. Refrigerate uncovered for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
Make the caramel. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat, cook the 1 cup of sugar, stirring constantly, until it melts into a deep amber liquid, about 8–10 minutes. Carefully add butter (it will bubble vigorously) and stir until melted. Remove from heat, pour in the warmed heavy cream, and stir until smooth. Stir in sea salt. Let the caramel cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes, until it thickens to a pourable consistency.
Finish and serve. Pour the cooled caramel over the chilled cheesecake, spreading gently to the edges. Return to the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set the caramel. Release the springform collar, slice with a clean knife (wiping between cuts), and serve.

Nutrition (per serving)

Caramel Cheesecake — A Promise Made in Sugar and Love