It’s the day before Thanksgiving in the US, so naturally I’m going to hijack this writing blog and give you something totally unrelated to writing- except that it’s so easy, it won’t cut into your writing time- and only tangentially related to Thanksgiving.

I know, it’s traditional to write about what one is thankful for, et cetera, and while I’m thankful for a lot of things, this year has been pretty lousy in other ways, so I’m going for something different:

Melopita (Greek Honey Cheesecake)

1 15 oz container of ricotta cheese (about 2 cups)

3 eggs

1/3 cup honey

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 375. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Pour into a greased and floured 7 inch springform pan. Bake for one hour or until the top is golden brown and the cake is set (give the pan a shake, and if the cake wobbles in the center, it’s not done yet). Allow to cool in the oven to reduce cracking. Makes six large servings or eight smaller ones.

Variations:

– Dust with cinnamon or baharat before serving.

– Garnish with berries or pomegranate seeds.

– Apple slices on the bottom of the pan before pouring in the batter (haven’t tried this but I think it’d be amazing).

– For a nice crunch: put a layer of toasted sesame seeds on the bottom of the pan before pouring in the batter. For my next iteration of this cake, I’m going to try toasting the sesame seeds then cooking them with an equal volume of honey, to make them stick together and form a more coherent crust.

I discovered this recipe by accident and modified it slightly- I’ve learned through experience that you can cut the sugar in most dessert recipes by a third to a half, and it won’t affect the taste. This is the low sugar version. It’s also gluten free, if that’s a consideration for you. And of course, the long baking time gives you time to write a few paragraphs!

If you serve/eat any non-traditional foods around the holidays, sing out in the comments; I’m always looking for new kitchen experiments.

Happy Thanksgiving!