"cheesecake" news and stories

• T-minus ten days! (T as in Thanksgiving, of course.)
• One-pot recipes are the soul of simplicity, but they don't have to be boring. What's for dinner tonight: pork ragout or bacalao?
• As for dessert, think a whole world of cheesecake.
• Think you're a smart cookie? Do you really know your pecan sandies from your chocolate-chip treats? Take the pop quiz.

Happy National Cheesecake Day!

There's nothing not to love about the supreme decadence of a cake based upon unctuous cheese. As we all know, at its base, the cheesecake combines cheese and crust, both of which can vary widely, with numerous additions like flavorings, spices and toppings. But this is where things get interesting...

From top to bottom, cheesecakes cover ingredients from A to Z, from classic fresh fruit toppings to exotic bases, like candy bars, amaretti cookies or seasoned shortbread. And don't think cheesecake need be limited to merely cakes -- it's also adds tang to frozen desserts, like these enticing blueberry cheesecake and strawberry cheesecake ice cream recipes.

What's your favorite cheesecake recipe? Link us to it in the comments!

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As we near the end of Florida's Meyer lemon season (which usually runs from December to April), it may be time for a lemon-dessert marathon. The Meyer, a hybrid of lemon and mandarin orange that originated in China, is more round and sweet than your average lemon, and its juice adds amazing zest to pies and cakes.

Spanish-language blog conicadelsol offers the recipe for the lemon cake above, which is made with mascarpone cheese for creaminess (in case you don't read Spanish, there are step-by-step illustrations, and the ingredients are simply a stick of butter, 4 ounces of mascarpone, a cup of sugar, 3/4 cup of flour, 2 eggs and the zest of one lemon). For a super-creamy lemon cheesecake, see our recipe, as well as a recipe for a fluffy lemon cake sans cheese. And for the rest of the lemon-season marathon, see Kitchen Daily for lemon recipes from appetizers to midnight snacks.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot of having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.

Ever wonder how bakers achieve pristine cheesecakes with no cracks on top or oven-baked custards so tender they make you swoon?

This cheesecake with its ginger-lemon cookie crust celebrates one of fall's most delicious flavors: pumpkin.

Get this pumpkin cheesecake recipe along with many others after the jump.