By Deontay's curriculum is done — the revised version, incorporating my notes from last month, and it is right now. Twelve sessions, each one teaching a specific skill and connecting it to a specific history and a specific community context. Session three has the West African foodways material that it needed. Sessions seven through nine have the new sequence that puts fermentation after braising, which is the logical order. The dedication page still reads: Dedicated to Bernice Simms, who set the first table, and to Miss Loretta Simms, who kept it set. I read that twice and then I called Deontay and told him it was ready to present to the committee. He said he would do it next week. I said, I'll be there. He said, you don't have to be. I said, I know. I'll be there anyway.
The committee approved it unanimously. The curriculum will be piloted this spring — the Saturday class will be the first cohort. Rosa has agreed to help Deontay co-facilitate. These are good people. These are the right people. Bernice's Table is in the right hands and the right hands are getting better every year and I had something to do with that and also the something I had to do with it is finished and what remains is theirs.
The seventh anniversary of Marcus's death is less than two months away. I am not dreading it. I am noting it. April ninth will arrive and I will do what I have done for seven years and the table will be set and the yellow tulips will go on the grave and Destiny will come. And then April tenth will come, and the peas will be growing, and Caleb will be learning new words, and the fruitcake ingredients are already on the list for December. Life continues. That is the whole story. Life continues and the kitchen holds it.
The committee approved the curriculum unanimously, and the pilot class is set for spring — and rhubarb is a spring thing, tart and determined, exactly like the work that brought us here. I made this cheesecake the evening after the vote, not because anyone asked me to, but because the kitchen needed to mark it too. The swirl reminds me of how the sessions wound together in the end: braising first, then fermentation, each layer built on what came before.
Rhubarb Swirl Cheesecake
Prep Time: 30 min | Cook Time: 1 hr 10 min | Total Time: 1 hr 40 min + chilling | Servings: 12
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (for crust)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups fresh or frozen rhubarb, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar (for rhubarb swirl)
- 1 tablespoon water
- 3 packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar (for filling)
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Make the rhubarb swirl. Combine rhubarb, 1/3 cup sugar, and water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until rhubarb breaks down into a thick, jammy sauce, about 10–12 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
- Prepare the crust. Preheat oven to 325°F. Mix graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press firmly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.
- Make the filling. Beat softened cream cheese and 1 cup sugar together on medium speed until completely smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing on low after each addition just until incorporated. Blend in sour cream, vanilla, and flour until smooth. Do not overmix.
- Assemble the swirl. Pour the cream cheese filling over the cooled crust. Drop spoonfuls of the cooled rhubarb sauce over the top. Use a thin knife or skewer to gently swirl the rhubarb through the filling in wide, looping motions.
- Bake. Place the springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 325°F for 55–65 minutes, until the edges are set and the center has a slight jiggle. Turn off the oven, crack the door open, and let the cheesecake rest inside for 1 hour to prevent cracking.
- Chill. Remove from the oven and run a thin knife around the edge of the pan. Cool completely at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight before slicing.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 420 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 28g | Carbs: 37g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 310mg