I won’t be surprised if not one single person who reads this post has any idea in the world who Paul Fisher is. You would have had to live in Portland in the 1950′s and ’60′s to have ever heard his name. He was a very popular guy in my home because his bakery in Northwest Portland was THE place to buy fancy cakes and pastries for special occasions. My mom and grandmother seldom bought a ready made anything so when our birthdays rolled around and they asked us what kind of cake we wanted we always cried out “a bakery cake.” And Paul Fisher’s was our bakery of choice. One of his most famous cakes was this No-Bake Cheesecake with a fresh fruit topping. The recipe appeared in Mary Cullen’s Cottage, a cooking section in the local newspaper, in a 1950′s issue of The Portland Oregonian. Once my mother had the recipe for our favorite cake our bakery cake days were over.
This recipe is unlike other gelatin based cheesecakes I’ve tried. It doesn’t have that “whipped cream folded into jello” consistency that I don’t care for. It is a much lighter version of the classic baked cheesecake but it still has substance and a rich cream cheese flavor and texture. My mom loved raspberries and she always used them to top the cake when they were in season. Any berry works well.
- CRUST:
- ½ cup melted butter
- 1-1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
- ¼ cup hazelnut, finely chopped (or nut of your choice)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- FILLING:
- 5 egg yolks
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- zest from 1 lemon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 small envelopes gelatin
- ½ cup cold water
- 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 pint whipping cream, whipped
- GLAZE 1:
- Fresh berries (I used raspberries, boysenberries, and strawberries)
- Berry jam or jelly, warmed
- GLAZE 2:
- 1 cup fresh berries
- 4 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
- ¼ cup sugar
- CRUST:
- Process graham crackers, nuts and cinnamon in a food processor until crumbly. Add melted butter and process an additional 15-20 seconds. Press mixture into a 10″ springform pan or a 9″x12″ baking dish. Bake at 325 for 10 minutes.
- FILLING:
- Lightly beat egg yolks in a medium bowl. Add sugar, milk, vanilla, salt and lemon rind. Cook in a double boiler over simmering water until mixture has thickened and coats the back of a spoon. It will be the consistency of a thin custard. Do not let boiling water touch the bottom of the double boiler.
- Dissolve gelatin in ½ cup cold water. Add to the hot custard mixture and blend well. Let cool to room temperature. Do not refrigerate or mixture will be too thick to smoothly fold in cream cheese and whipped cream.
- Whip the cream cheese and sugar until thoroughly combined. Fold into cool custard.
- Whip cream until peaks form and fold into custard-cream cheese mixture.
- Pour into prepared pan. Chill several hours or overnight.
- GLAZE 1:
- Warm raspberry jam or jelly until it is melted. Top cheesecake with berries and drizzle the warm jelly over the fruit. Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
- GLAZE 2:
- Combine 1 cup berries with 2 tablespoons water, bring to a boil. Puree in a blender. Combine puree with sugar and bring to a boil. Sprinkle gelatin over 2 tablespoons water and let stand for 5 minutes, then add to heated fruit puree. Chill until SLIGHTLY thickened. Pour glaze over fruit topped cake and chill thoroughly.
- Garnish with whipped cream if desired.
This week I’m joining the festivities at:
Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum
Fresh Food Friday at la belle vita and
On the Menu Monday at StoneGable
I hope you stop by to visit these wonderful sites. You will find good friends and great recipes there.
HAPPY WEEKEND EVERYONE
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{ 30 comments… read them below or add one }
It looks delicious, and I’m loving that I don’t have to turn the oven on for very long (especially in the middle of our heatwave!).
Thank you for sharing – I’m looking forward to trying this.
Lisa @ Red Door Kitchen
Red Door Kitchen recently posted..Classic Chicken Alfredo
You are right, never heard of him….
Looking at that cheesecake, it’s probably a good thing. Because instead of being moderately overweight…I’d be obestly overweight.
Ramona recently posted..Ramona’s Most Wanted List #2
I’d certainly like a piece of your cheese cake to go with my coffee!
Best,
Bonnie
Bonnie recently posted..Morning Coffee
What a gorgeous cheesecake Cathy. It looks like it could be in the window of a Paris patisserie. I’m with you – I don’t like the gelatin jello taste either.
This just goes to prove that Mom does know best. How fun that she was able to obtain the recipe. My husband had a favorite bakery cake when he was growing up. The bakery has since gone out of business and we’ve tried with no success to either find the recipe or duplicate it at home. Hope you have a great weekend and enjoy your farmer’s market.
Sam
My Carolina Kitchen recently posted..Grilled Thai Barbecued Chicken – Just in Time for Summer Cookouts
Cathy I just love recipes with histories and stories. Isn’t the internet a great place to share these amazingly personal intimate items to us.
Wonderful photos and recipe as always!
Dave
Inspired by eRecipeCards.com recently posted..KISS Oven Baked BBQ Chicken Breasts ala 101 Cooking For Two
I love all the history that goes with this recipe. The cheese cake looks awsome
An absolutely divine looking cheesecake! I often make the no bake variety, they are light and perfect for summer!
Karen
Lavender and Lovage recently posted..Vegetarian Friday! Barley, Tomato and Garlic Risotto by Yotam Ottolenghi
OMG this looks so delicious! Perfect for these hot summer days!
L~xo
Linda recently posted..Chicken Souvlaki from Monique….
This is my kind of cheesecake! So delicious and no bake is great! Beautiful photos, lovely post.
Mary
Mary recently posted..Rachel Allen’s New Cookbook – Sole a la Meuniere and Spring Lamb Cutlets with Anchovey, Olive and Buttered Courgettes.
I don’t know Paul Fisher, btu this recipe really looks and sounds perfect for the summer; love it!
Rita
Just beautiful Cathy, the berries make it look extra special! Happy Weekend:@)
Beautiful pictures, Cathy – those berries are the perfect topping for this cheesecake.
Karen recently posted..Imitation Crab Salad
Picture perfect, Cathy! I can just imagine the cool creaminess with the fresh berries!
Kathleen recently posted..Sailing into August and Sale ing!
What a treat!! Your photo is spectacular & those tiny little dribbles down the side make me want to just scoop them up to eat immediately. Wonderful of you to share such a special recipe.
Oh & you’re right….never heard of Paul Fisher but I’m sure glad your Mom garnered his recipe. My DH ♥♥♥ cheesecake over any other dessert. He STILL talks about the “lemon cheesecake my Mommie used to make”.
Rettabug recently posted..Vinegar Glossed Chicken ♫♫
Look at all of those beautiful berries on that cake! I’ve printed out the recipe and hope to try it soon. And by the way, love that print feature.
Lea Ann recently posted..The Best Sandwich in the World: Bacon Lettuce and Tomato
That is one gorgeous cheesecake, Cathy, especially loaded with such beautiful fruit. I like the sound of a lighter-than-baked version of cheesecake so this is definitely going in the ‘to try’ pile!
Susan recently posted..Spritz Cocktail
Cathy, If that cheesecakes tastes as good as it looks, then it has to be delicious. A great summertime dessert when it’s hot outside.
Karen (Back Road Journal) recently posted..Farmers Market Beet Greens
Cathy, cheesecake is my nemesis. Well, I have to include caramel as an equal. It’s a very dangerous thing for me to make, because my family is kind of “meh” about this creamy and favorite dessert of mine– therefore, I’d eat most of it by myself. Then again, if I served mine like you did, my berry loving husband would probably dig right in! I can’t resist this recipe, so I’m bookmarking it– along with another 200 plus recipes for desserts I’d love to make. I have such an incurable sweet tooth!
Foodiewife recently posted..Skillet Ziti – From America’s Test Kitchen to Mine
That cheesecake looks mouthwatering. Cheese cake isn’t the healthiest option but when i’m out with the girls for desert it’s one that i can never say no to. Thanks for posting the recipe
That is before I moved here. It looks delicious! What fond memories you have.
Marilyn recently posted..A Summer Tradition
That is just gorgeous with those beautiful berries on top, and it sounds absolutely delicious:)
Raina recently posted..Godiva French Vanilla Coffee, White Chocolate, and Vanilla Bean Shake
i can’t get over that picture of that big old slice of cheesecake, it looks incredible! this would be such a hit at our house.
teresa recently posted..6 Years Old
I’m usually only a fan of baked cheese cake, but this one looks to have the drier consistency that I like and your shot of it is awesome – we’ll have to give it a try.
Cheesecake is the best and you did it perfectly, Cathy! It looks so smooth and creamy with the berries being a great topping. Yum! Wish I had a slice now!
Sorry to have to post this here but the e mail address you have on your site won’t work.
Hi Cathy
I would have a friendly request.
On one of teh popualr sebian group blogs cooking sites I am preparing series about Market day ..in and we feature markets around the world.Would you mind if we us eyour post about markets.We will have to translate it in serbain wbut will stay through to original text.It will also be linked back to your blog.
At the moment we have another series going on there:Foodgasm Travelling the world through amateurs kitchen and have published 22 countries..and fellow bloggers
Some examples you can see here
http://teslio.com/groups/kulinarstvo/blogs/blogpost/1215
http://teslio.com/groups/kulinarstvo/blogs/blogpost/1216
http://teslio.com/groups/kulinarstvo/blogs/blogpost/1217
http://teslio.com/groups/kulinarstvo/blogs/blogpost/1221
http://teslio.com/groups/kulinarstvo/blogs/blogpost/1220
Cheers
Dzoli
Dzoli recently posted..Kako brzo prodje vreme…Time is flying
This does sound like a great recipe and oh wow does it ever look delectable
Magic of Spice recently posted..What’s for dessert? Tinged Creams and Tasting Parties
This certainly looks thick and creamy like a traditional baked cheesecake. The berries and whipped cream on top look divine. Great summer recipe in many ways!
Becki@Becki’s Whole Life recently posted..Peanut Butter Pie
It is perfection..I know why I have missed posts..you switched..and it didn’t register for me to switch.I am catching up.I love the way the recipes are..your photos..the quality of everything.
Monique recently posted..Pain De Mie~
This is one I will be putting in my file – you’ve never steered me wrong before!!!
Barb recently posted..Leftovers of the Season ….
This Paul Fisher’s No-Bake Cheesecake I’m just going to have to try!
Pat
Pat Hinkel recently posted..Pat’s Broccoli Cheese Soup