Nana’s Food Legacy
“I’m extraordinarily family-oriented; I’ve always lived in a huge household. Right now I live with my husband, my parents, my younger brother, and my uncle.
“I also lived with both of my maternal grandparents until they passed away. My grandfather told me lots of family stories, and my grandmother gave me so many great family recipes.
“My grandmother was always in the kitchen, and we spent a great deal of our time together there. Some of my greatest memories were made, and served, in the kitchen. No matter how hectic our days were, we always ate dinner at the table as a family. When my grandfather passed away unexpectedly, we kept that tradition because it made my grandmother feel as though he were still with us.
“After she had a stroke during heart surgery, we had to stop that tradition as we were rushing from work and school to be by her side. Still, I made it a habit to have dinner with her at least once a week at her nursing home. When she came home for hospice care, we were all at the table every night no matter what; it didn’t matter how much she ate or didn’t eat, all we cared about was being together. When she passed away, we lost a huge amount of our spirit. Then we realized that she wouldn’t have wanted it that way, especially during her favorite holiday, Thanksgiving.
“At Thanksgiving, most families have pumpkin pie; my family has Nana’s Blue Ribbon Cheese Torte with Homemade Cranberry Sauce. Growing up, it was a huge deal for me to learn Nana’s secrets for making the dessert that got her kicked out of the Wisconsin State Fair for winning the blue ribbon too many times! I loved helping her crush graham cracker crumbs for the crust, watching the cranberries pop as the sauce cooked, or licking the spoon as she made the cheese torte. Nana always made me feel involved, and she made sure that she told everyone that I helped her. Those memories still make me smile.
“My son Cristian Joseph was born in June, and he’s the absolute light of my life. He needs to know about family tradition and the legacies of his great-grandparents. I can’t wait to share our family stories with him, and I can’t wait to see his face when he eats his first piece of Nana’s torte. He had a little of the torte for his first Thanksgiving, but it seemed to go everywhere except in his mouth!”
Nana’s Blue Ribbon Deluxe Cheese Torte
Pie crust:
6 cups graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups butter, melted
Filling:
3 pounds cream cheese
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 egg whites
2 cups sugar
Topping:
2 pints sour cream
4 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Combine the cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Divide the mixture equally into three 8-inch pie pans. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the sides of each pan. Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.
Cream the cheese well, then add vanilla and mix.
Beat the egg whites until foamy, then add sugar and beat until the meringue will hold its shape. Add to the cream cheese mixture and combine thoroughly. Spread equal portions of the filling in the 3 prepared pie pans and bake for 40 minutes.
Increase the oven’s heat to 475 degrees F. To make the topping, mix the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla, and spread on the tortes (they don’t have to cool). Bake 4 minutes. Cool the tortes at room temperature for 1 hour, and then refrigerate overnight. Serve slices of torte with spoonfuls of Nana’s Cranberry Sauce.
Nana’s Cranberry Sauce
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 cup cranberries
Dissolve the sugar in the water in a medium-sized pot. Add the cranberries and cook over medium heat until they start to pop (approximately 10 minutes), stirring occassionally. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl. The sauce will thicken as it cools.
