Eggnog Cheesecake

Thanksgiving 2024. The table was smaller this year — Jamal stayed in Houston with Brittany and Jalen (who is now one and apparently running, which Jamal describes as "controlled falling with enthusiasm"). Kayla came from Lafayette. MawMaw Shirley came from Baker, Daddy driving, MawMaw Shirley in the passenger seat with her lap full of oyster dressing because she insists on bringing it hot and she does not trust reheating and the argument is not worth having.

I made the turkey this year. Not Mama — me. Mama stepped aside the way MawMaw Shirley stepped aside from the étouffée last Christmas: without announcement, without ceremony, just a quiet yielding of the position that says "you are ready." I brined the turkey for twenty-four hours in a saltwater bath with thyme and bay leaves and peppercorns, a technique I learned from the creative nonfiction professor who is also, it turns out, an excellent cook and who shared the brine recipe after I wrote the gumbo essay. The turkey was golden and moist and the skin crackled when you carved it, and Daddy ate three plates, which is one more plate than his two-plate standard, which is his version of a restaurant review.

Uncle Terrence wore the tie. He ate quietly. He helped with the dishes afterward, standing at the sink with his sleeves rolled up, washing plates with the careful attention of a man who has found, in the washing of dishes, a form of participation that does not require words. He has been sober for three and a half years. The number is not the point. The point is the dishes. The point is the tie. The point is the showing up, again and again, even when the showing up is hard, even when the table has an empty chair where DeAndre should be, even when the prayer contains names that should be living and are not.

MawMaw Shirley's prayer was seven minutes. It included Jalen for the second year. It included DeAndre, as always. It included Grandpa Charles and every Robinson ancestor she could name, and she could name many, and the naming was the prayer's purpose: to speak the names so the names continue to exist, because a name that is spoken is a name that lives, and the dead live as long as someone says their name at a table where food is served. This is MawMaw Shirley's theology. I share it. The gumbo is the communion. The names are the hymn.

After I pulled that turkey out of the brine and watched Daddy reach for his third plate, I knew the meal needed a dessert that could hold the weight of the evening — something that felt like a celebration and a comfort at the same time. Eggnog cheesecake is exactly that: warm spice and cool cream, festive enough for a table that included MawMaw Shirley’s seven-minute prayer and an empty chair, rich enough to linger over when no one is quite ready to say goodnight. It’s the kind of dessert you bring out slowly, after the dishes are done, after Uncle Terrence has rolled his sleeves back down — the kind that makes people sit back down at the table for one more reason to stay.

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes | Total Time: 5 hours 35 minutes (includes chilling) | Servings: 12

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (about 12 full crackers)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup eggnog
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
Whipped cream and a dusting of nutmeg, for serving

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 water from seeping in during the water bath.
Make the crust. In a medium bowl, stir together the graham cracker crumbs, 3 tablespoons 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 remove and let cool while you make the filling.
Beat the cream cheese. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese until completely smooth, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add 1 cup sugar and the flour; beat on medium until well combined and fluffy, about 1 minute more.
Add the wet ingredients. Reduce mixer speed to low. Add the eggnog, vanilla, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves. Mix just until incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing on low after each addition only until the yolk disappears — 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 inside a large roasting pan. Set on the oven rack and pour hot water into the roasting pan until it reaches 1 inch up the side of the springform pan. Bake at 325°F for 55 to 65 minutes, until the edges are set but the center still has a slight jiggle.
Cool gradually. Turn the oven off, crack the oven door open about 2 inches, and let the cheesecake rest inside for 1 hour. This slow cooling helps prevent cracking. Remove from the water bath, discard the foil, and run a thin knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cheesecake.
Chill. Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature, then cover loosely and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Remove the springform ring, slice with a warm knife, and serve with whipped cream and a fresh grating of nutmeg.

Nutrition (per serving)

Eggnog Cheesecake — The Dessert That Closes a Thanksgiving Table Like a Prayer