[Sca-cooks] OT - cheesecake texture question, regional??

[Patricia Dunham]

I just had a run-away morning by myself, 8-), and did something I NEVER do! I bought something at the Saturday Market food court! I "never do" this because I'm OLD and $5 or $6 or $7+ for a pig-in-a-poke ... I usually can't bring myself to gamble so much money, even if the opportunity only arises a couple of times a year!

Anyway, I tried the local-legend-hippie-dippie-cheesecake booth! Well, the originator may not have been a hippie, but this cheesecake has been at the Market, and the Country Faire for like 30 years!  I was on my own, and having trouble making up my mind what to try, so... D*'s Espresso Cheesecake. 

Unfortunately, I was NOT impressed. But fell back on my childhood clean-yr-plate, and current "but you paid $5 for it, OF COURSE you're going to finish it" frugality...

IS THERE A SCHOOL OF CHEESECAKE where the filling is SUPPOSED to be thick, heavy, gooey, gluey and heavy, did I say heavy? Heavy. I may not eat again today.

The bottom crust was well made, pretty, but not very flavorful; the filling was mildly coffee flavored but had the texture issue, there was a chocolate-like 1/8 inch top layer that may have had some mild coffee hint to it... The 3 chocolate-covered espresso bean decoration seemed just a tiny bit stale?

It was all at "room temp" of course, a sunny but cool day. Not absolutely STICKY sweet, but like only 5% tart? Not nearly what I expect, say, from M*'s cheesecakes, which are much lighter and ... sorta' cleaner tasting? M*'s are more like 15-20% tart-factor.  Of course, my M*'s cheesecake slice memory is at least 20 years old by now! (M*'s is a local, this-town-only-but-professional bread bakery & fancy pastry place that has been in business at least as long as D*'s booth.)

SO! IS there a real school of thick gooey gluey sweet cheesecake? vs. lighter, airier, not so sweet? Or is this just specific to D*'s, and the folks who like it, like it that way?

thanks!!
chimene

(oh, I also DID score the hazelnuts-in-shell I was looking for at the Market, tried a taste of their ground hazelnut pesto-- I have NEVER tasted pesto in 64 years, but just bought myself a plant. All I could taste was the garlic in it. We'll see. AND I did get to "Free Comic Day" in time to pick up the Serenity sample, yay, 8-))