Monday, 3/31/25 - Most of the day was spent driving, but the views were nice. Simona was accurate when she told us these 3 Baltic countries are "flat as a pancake". The highest point in the country is a 965 foot hill, no mountains, though they do have lots of lakes, forests, and rivers.
We saw many storks in nests up on telephone poles or in very tall trees. Storks are beloved by Latvians and they sometimes build areas that might encourage the storks to build a nest; much as we do in the U.S., Latvians believe storks bring babies. Before crossing into Lithuania we visited the delightful Rundāle Palace (roon-dah-leh) designed in the Baroque & Rococo styles. Built by the Duke of Courland, Ernst Johan von Biron, in the 1700s (when the Duchy of Courland & Semigallia were still independent), it survived Napoleon and both World Wars mostly intact!
The architect was the Italian, Bartolimeo Rastrelli (he also helped design the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg Palace). After the Duchy of Courland and Semigallia was absorbed by the Russian Empire in 1795, Catherine the Great presented the palace to Count Valerian Zubov, the youngest brother of her lover, Prince Platon Zubov.
They used it for many things over the years (besides a palace), but it is now fully restored in the 18th Century style. Spectacular and spacious, colorful as well. Seeing how Baroque isn't my favorite, the variety of parquet floors was one of the things I loved most, along with the huge windows and tall ceilings.
We stopped for a quick lunch in Girelė and then were on to Šiauliai (show-lay) to see the Hill of Crosses. Although the exact origin is uncertain, its roots are related to the 1831 uprising, and when it began it was more of a memorial. The Hill of Crosses is a difficult place to describe, so I'll do my best through photos and videos.
Today the site is more of a pilgrimage for Lithuanian Catholics. I had never seen any photos and didn't know what to expect. It's quite astounding - there are easily 300,000 crosses, some as small as 3 inches and some over 15 feet tall, and they're all over the place. Intricate, simple. small, large, wood, stone, metal, plastic, you name it! "Over the generations, not only crosses and crucifixes, but statues of the Virgin Mary, carvings of Lithuanian patriots and thousands of tiny effigies and rosaries have been brought here by Catholic pilgrims. Due to the symbolism of cross-crafting during the Soviet occupation, UNESCO named Lithuanian cross-crafting in the lists of good safeguarding practices and intangible cultural heritage."
Back on the bus we soon arrived at our next Radisson Blu, in the capital city Vilnius. To Simona's credit she did give us a lot of good information on the ride. A very brief history (that doesn't start at the beginning): In 1569, established by the Lublan Union, the Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, joined forces. Sometimes known as the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, it was among the most populated and largest countries in 16th-18th century Europe. Because of this, other European powers wanted to split them. In 1795, after successive partitions by their neighbouring powers, Prussia, Russia and Austria, the commonwealth permanently ceased to exist. Even between the world wars the Baltic nations were still fighting off Russia. Thus, Latvia became the first Baltic country to declare independence from Soviets ( on March 13, 1989), and in 2004 they joined the EU.
Unfortunately for us North Americans, Latvia had Daylight Savings time last night, so we lost an hour of sleep last night, and boy did I feel it! A quiet breakfast alone was welcome after such a night, and I soon rejoined the crew for our morning tour of the old town. Our local guide for the morning, Ieva, was a nice woman, and knowledgeable. She is also a Tour Director with Gate1, but Simona is still my favorite.
Rīga has three parts: City Center, Old Town, and New Living Districts. Of the three Baltic countries, Rīga is the largest city and was founded in 1201 by German Crusaders (Livonian Brothers of the Sword). Latvia has been ruled by Germans, Poles, Swedes, and Russians throughout its history. The country's main waterway is the Duagava River (which means "much water") and the river basin covers more than one third of their territory and they also use it for hydroelectric power. "The great river as a waterway and a rich fishing ground has attracted
many, both in the ancient past and nowadays... The Viking Saga has more detailed information on the Daugava waterway
than other rivers in Eastern Europe, demonstrating the importance of the
Daugava in its trade relations at that time. Freedom
battles took place on the banks of the Daugava River and the Republic of
Latvia was proclaimed" (source).
Statue outside Museum of Occupation
The First National Awakening began in the 1850's and after WWI and two years of the Latvian War of Independence they were finally free in 1921. That independence was brutally interrupted in June 1940 by the Soviets, then in 1941 by the Nazis, and again by the Soviets in 1944. By 1991, they had managed to restore their independence and have since joined NATO and the European Union.
Rīga, as I mentioned in yesterday's post, is known for its architecture. It has around 800 Art Nouveau buildings currently on the UNESCO World Heritage list! The style flourished in the early 1900s and the first one in this "new" style in Rīga was built in 1899.
10b Elizabetes Street (M. Eisenstein – 1903)
Ieva told us how the buildings were originally private residences built by the owner who lived on one floor and rented the remaining floors for income. When the USSR took over Latvia they deemed owning an entire building and living on one entire floor wasteful. The government then deported the owners or moved in three other families to join them on that one floor of the building. Ieva remembers living in one with her grandparents and other families. Now mind you, the other families they shared with were not relatives and these were originally built as one family homes so everyone was sharing one kitchen and one bathroom. She remembers waiting in line for the bathroom to get ready for school in the morning. Once Latvia regained independence her family tried to prove that her grandparents were the pre-Soviet owners of the house, but unfortunately the records had been lost or burnt so they were unsuccessful. Many of the buildings are still unclaimed and state owned. She can only imagine how her grandmother felt sharing her home with strangers and being confined to two rooms of her house.
Most of our morning tour was concentrated on the Art Nouveau buildings on Alberta Street (with most of these being built between 1903-1907. The street is lined with Linden Trees and most of the architects were Latvians who had studied at the Rīga Polytechnic Institute. There are several sub-styles (or divisions) of Art Nouveau that we were able to see in Rīga: Decorative, Romantic, Eclectic, even a Perpendicular Art Nouveau.
entrance at 8 Antonijas Lela Street (K. Pēkšēns – 1903)
Because Latvia has lots of sand and clay, and not a lot of natural stone, much of the decorative work on the buildings is actually stucco.
As we ended the Art Nouveau portion of our tour we came upon a unique example of the Latvian people expressing their displeasure with Russia's current actions. When the war with Ukraine started Latvia renamed the street Ukrainian Independence Street so the address of the Russian Embassy is now No. 2 Ukrainian Independence Street. *interestingly enough, they weren't alone in this, Wikipedia has a list of streets renamed since the invasion. Since Russia technically owns the building they refused to put the street name on the wall (that's how streets are posted, on the corners of buildings), so the city simply put the street name on a pole next to the building. Additionally, the Russian Embassy is located in a gorgeous building with Art Nouveau elements and across the street is the Pauls Stradins Medicine History Museum. The museum put up a gigantic poster of Putin, with a skeleton jaw, outside on the wall so that any time the ambassador enters or exits the embassy he can see the poster.
We then continued our tour with the other highlights of the Old Town, stopping first at the Town Hall Square. The square also contains the House of the Blackheads, which was originally a warehouse in 1334 and in the 15th century the brotherhood started using the building. The "brotherhood" was a guild (union) of unmarried, foreign merchants and ship-owners. The patron saint of the Brotherhood of Blackheads is the black Egyptian Christian, Saint Maurice whose head is also depicted on the Brotherhood's coat of arms. The building, and much of the town, were destroyed by the fighting Nazis and Soviets in 1941.
Brotherhood of the Blackheads
We soon saw the "Three Brothers" buildings, the oldest complex of dwelling houses in Rīga. The oldest is from the late 15th century (Gothic-Renaissance style), the next from about 1646 (Dutch Mannerism style), and the last is a Baroque building believed to be from the 1740's.
The Three Brothers
The last stop on our morning tour was a private organ concert at St. John's church. She played a selection of Mendelssohn, Bach, Handel, and Baptiste Loeilllet. According to our program she was finished, but then she began playing "America the Beautiful". It was quite the juxtaposition, I've never heard that song on a pipe organ before, and certainly didn't expect it in a Latvian church on Sunday morning!
Our next location was a visit to the famous Central Market (converted from old German Zeppelin hangers). It is the largest market in Europe and is on the UNESCO list as well. The optional tour for the afternoon wasn't to my taste, so I had the rest of the day free. After doing some wandering I walked about 25min to the Art Nouveau Center (Latvia did not have über).
Rīga Central Market
Art Nouveau Museum
The museum is housed in a stunning building designed by their most
prolific & prominent Latvian architect, Konstantīns Pēkšēns. I found both floors of the the place delightful (the stairwell is beautiful) - the bottom floor was more informational on the style itself, Latvian architects, etc. and the top floor was a refurbished apartment in the appearance of a early 20th century flat in Riga.
Since I had walked all the way across town and the Latvian National Museum of Art was nearby, it seemed only sensible to investigate. Another stunning entry and staircase (this one I recognized from a blog I had read before my adventure) and the soon-welcoming news that, for whatever reason, the 3rd and 4th floor exhibits were free. The parquet floors were incredible and many of the paintings were to my liking as well, so I'm very glad I stopped to visit.
I had not eaten lunch and the afternoon was waning, but I couldn't
decide what else I wanted to do (i.e. what I was willing to walk to
see). I determined that if I didn't pass a kebab shop en route I'd try
the Lido restaurant near our hotel which Simona had recommended to our
group. The inside was beautiful - plants, tile, old decor, stained
glass - and the food options were almost overwhelming. You couldn't
beat the price and the food was delicious. As I was walking back to the
hotel, I came upon Roz & Irv, Mary Ann, and Rose. They had just
returned from the Ethnographic Museum tour (which they didn't
particularly enjoy, so I felt justified in my aversion to it) and were
heading to Lido for dinner. They insisted I join them, and having no
other plans, I acquiesced. I became their unofficial guide through the dinner-purchasing process (it's like a cafeteria where you choose all your dishes, put them on a tray, and then go pay). Despite having already eaten, Roz insisted on buying me dessert since I had helped her charger her phone the other day. We ended up sitting around talking for almost 2 hours before we all headed back to the hotel. My phone says I walked about 7.5 miles today, so I think I deserve to be in bed at 9pm.
This morning I enjoyed breakfast with the couple from Brooklyn. After checking out of our rooms we were on the bus with 'Magic', our bus driver, heading south to Latvia. Simona let us know that we were expecting an unusual weather day for this time of year - warm (low 50's) and sunny! With such good weather she arranged for a stop at Vitrupe Beach, on the Baltic Sea, so that we could at least see it up close and take some photos; we could even touch if we so desired. While enjoying the sea breezes Simona had some special Estonian liqueur called Vana Tallinn for everyone to taste. It was incredibly sweet, and the herbal taste was hard to describe. It didn't taste bad, but I did not finish my shot - reminded me too much of cough syrup.
Back on the bus Simona told us about the sea. It is known for the sand dunes that it creates along the shore as there are a lot of strong waves. A unique feature of the Baltic sea is that there is only 7grams of salt per kilogram of water (very low salinity), due in part to the multiple, large rivers that flow into it. When she was a child she used to spend her summers by the sea. It was very common for Lithuanian families to do that back then, but prices have now risen (unsurprising) and many resorts have been built. For anyone who loves amber (fossilized tree resin used in jewelry), over 90% of the world's amber comes from the Baltic region! As such, there are a myriad of amber options available all over Tallinn, Rīga, and Vilnus as they're a sought-after souvenir. Pieces of amber torn from the seafloor (often during harsh winter storms) are cast up by the waves and collected by hand, dredging, or diving. There are nine countries with Baltic Sea access: Germany, Poland, Russia, Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark.
Latvia has about 2 million people and 300 miles of coast on the Baltic. There are many mixed families in Latvia (Russian-Latvian) because of their time under Soviet Rule. Rīga has had a high population of Russians living there for many years, and in the 1980's it was nearly 50-50 (Russians-Latvians). Still today there are a lot of mixed families because the Soviet Union chose Latvia to build lots of factories and sent Russians there to work. After the collapse of the USSR most Latvians chose Latvian passports (they had previously had both as the Russians allowed them Russian passports). As a result, you can hear quite a bit of Russian spoken today, despite Latvian not being a Slavic language or having anything in common with Russian. As it was in Estonia, the Latvians are very pro-Ukrainian because of their not-too-distant time of oppression by the Russians. Many of the Baltic countries are attempting to become more energy independent, despite the increased costs of doing so, because they do not want to support Russia by purchasing their oil and gas.
The capital of Latvia, Rīga (pronounced "ree-gah"), is known as the Art Nouveau capital of the world, and quickly became my favorite location on this trip. I've also heard Rīga called the "Paris of the North" due to roughly 1/3 of the buildings in the city centre being in this delightful architectural style. We arrived at our hotel (Radisson Blu Latvija) and shortly after I was heading to the Old Town for some wander-time.
Gorgeous afternoon sun today and clouds in the forecast for tomorrow, I determined to take full advantage of the stunning facades and cobble-stoned streets around me. Photo opportunities were abundant and my handy Maps.me app gave me freedom to wander without getting lost. For those who don't know me well, despite having nearly 30 countries under my belt I'm still horrible with directions and am very, very easily lost. The top of the St. Peter's bell tower gives you 360-degree views of the town, so the clear, sunny skies spurred me to do that today too. The 9€ entry fee was well worth it on such a fine day, and my one dimensional photo cannot do the real view justice.
Rebuilt after WWII
The first mention of the church is from records dating to the early 1200's, but it's current footprint was mostly created during renovations in the 15th century. With a history of that many years, the church took several hundred years to be fully built and has been partially destroyed and rebuilt numerous times (fires and wars, more fires and more wars). The most recent renovations were finished in the 1980's, and the church was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1997. At
the back of the church they had a very fascinating display pertaining
to the Reformation in this area of the world (St. Peter's is a parish church of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Latvia).
We have an Old Town Rīga tour tomorrow, so I knew I would be able to get the "facts and figures" tomorrow, but I believe I hit the highlights today. Back at the hotel I rejoined my group and we headed to Piazza Italiana where we enjoyed a lovely dinner together. I sat with Irv & Roz (the more I get to know her the more she reminds me of my Grandma Barb), Bob and Bernadette (the couple with whom I had enjoyed breakfast this morning), Rose (from Chicago), and native Floridians Jack & Yvonne. The food was delicious and the company was nice as well.
As anticipated, despite the sleep deprivation of the last 28+ hours and an OTC sleeping pill, I barely slept last night. I was able to enjoy my breakfast alone and read my Bible while enjoying a coffee, as is my usual at home. Off to the bus where me met Kadi, our local guide for the morning.
Our first stop was the Tallinn Song Festival grounds, the home of a highly significant cultural event held every 5 years. July 2025 will be the next festival and about 10% of the entire country's population will be on the festival grounds (the choirs have around 30,000 and the attendees are another 100,000 people). Only the best choirs are admitted into the festival, and it is a celebration, not a competition.
The ice was leftover from a skiing competition.
The very first Song Festival (in Estonia) was held in 1869 and it helped to unite the country during the period of the Estonian National Awakening. The songs the choirs sing are Folk Songs, and Estonia is recognized as having one of the largest collection of folk songs in the world. Estonian Folk Song Spotify Songlist. The song and dance festival tradition of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania are included in the UNESCO list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as a unique phenomenon in the world. The statue (on the left) gazing out over the Song Festival grounds is of Gustav Ernesaks, the beloved composer and choir leader who they lovingly call the Father of the Song.
On the grounds here, 36 years ago, the Estonians gathered to sing patriotic hymns and folk songs in what became known as the Singing Revolution. The Russians didn't allow them to sing in Estonian (during WWII they were occupied by Russians, then Nazis, then Russians again), but the USSR couldn't stop them! Kadi explained to us that this event (and the Baltic Human Chain) helped the world to know that Estonia, and her Baltic neighbors, did not want to be part of the USSR. Within 4 years, by August 1991, Estonia had declared their Restoration of Independence (they'd gained their initial independence, also from Russia, back in 1918).
Our next stop was the Memorial to the Victims of Communism. As far as memorials go, it's relatively new, completed in 2018. It commemorates those deported, imprisoned, or murdered due to communism (1 in 5 Estonians). The entrance is a large, black walled "tunnel" inscribed, alphabetically, with the names of over 22,000 people who died - untold more were never heard from again, and the memorial is in their memory as well. The list of names is by no means complete, but it is a start. The inscription at the entrance explains the vision for the memorial, "The journey is a long corridor that symbolises the merciless power of the totalitarian system. The home garden is the place where dreams, memories, and a longing for home intertwine. The symbols of the home garden are apple trees and honeybees. A monument to Estonian Officers who fell victim to the communist terror is a part of the memorial. A wall as the place where they were executed stands as a reminder of their fate." The outside wall, visible in this photo is covered in beesbecause they compare Estonians to bees since bees stick together and always find their way home. The wall also has lines from the poem "He Flies Towards the Beehive" by Juhan Liiv which as since been put to music and is now sung at the Song Festivals as a song of mourning, resistance, and hope. There are 22,000 honeybees in the swarm on the wall, one for each of the names inside the tunnel.
Kadi told the story of her great-grandfather who was a farmer with a lot of land when the Russians came. He was deported in 1940 and sent to Russia to serve a 30 year sentence. By the time he finally returned to Estonia there was nothing left for him. his 65+ acre farm had long since been collectivized and his wife, assuming him dead, was with another man and had several more children. He died within a year of his return, a broken man. His name will likely never end up on a memorial, but the effects of communism surely led to his demise.
Our last destination was Old Town Tallinn (tah-lin). We sfirst aw the beautiful pink, Baroque-style Toompea Castle, the traditional seat of power in Estonia and home to their current parliament. Opposite Toompea sits Alexander Nevsky Russian Orthodox Cathedral, built in the 17th century style of a Moscow church. It was mainly built as a show of Russian power & oppression (its location, facing Toompea, is not accidental) and it still stands, thought not much loved by Estonians.
Moving from the Upper Old Town to lower Old Town we were shown St. Mary's Cathedral which was established in the 13th century and is the oldest church in Tallinn, and mainland Estonia. It was originally Roman Catholic, but after the Protestant Revolution it became Lutheran. It is also known for the different kinds of tombstones dating from the 13th–18th centuries.
St. Mary's Cathedral, Tallinn
Raeapteek, considered the oldest operating pharmacy in Europe
Protesting the Russian war against Ukraine
Around 12:15pm our tour ended and we had the afternoon to ourselves. Kadi graciously led some of us to Viru Centre, a large shopping center with a grocery store in the basement level and Rahva Raamat on the 3rd floor. I love visiting grocery stores when in other countries, and she told us this one had a vast array of inexpensive and delicious prepared foods. It struck me as a very posh grocery store, but after procuring nourishment I headed upstairs to the bookstore. They are the largest bookseller in the country and this particular store (they have locations in 9 different cities) was recognized in 2022 as the World's Best Bookstore at the London Book Fair.
After heading back outside I wandered a bit - it was chilly, drizzly, and gray today. Many cobble-stoned streets and lane ways, and surely many building of significance of which I was unaware. Tired, and still fighting off a cold, unsure what else I wanted to do (besides sleep, and be warm & dry), I headed back to the hotel.
The Tallinn Brotherhood of Black Heads, est. 1399
Dinner as a group tonight was at a lovely place called Scheeli Restoran (pronounced "Shelly"). I sat with an entertaining couple from Brooklyn (Bob & Bernadette) who were very New York Italian and had very strong accents; a delightful couple from New Jersey (Irv & Roz - Roz reminds me so very much of my late Grandma), and the other solo travelers: Mary Ann, Rose, Candy, and George. Simona also joined our table and we had a nice time getting to know a bit more back story to everyone.
Despite all the stress with Finnair (they canceled my Helsinki to Tallinn flight on Tuesday afternoon, but eventually rebooked me) over the "planned industrial action (which I assume from what I read meant a strike), I arrived in Helsinki early. This was quite helpful as my newly booked flight gave me only 35 minutes to get from one end of the airport to the other, as well as go through passport control (I was entering a Schengen Area country). For those unfamiliar with these terms there are Euro Zone countries (part of the European Union and using the Euro), Shengen Area countries (who have agreed to remove border controls, it includes EU and non-EU countries), and then countries in the European Union (sharing common institutions and a set of specific laws). Interestingly enough, Schengen countries may not share physical borders, as in the case of Cyprus and Ireland.
Terminology aside, the terminal was very quiet and I got no inkling that three trade unions were going to "demonstrate" in just 30 minutes. My flight took off and across the Baltic Sea we hopped and almost before you knew it we landed in Tallinn, Estonia. I caught an Über to my hotel with minimum fuss and was soon checked into my room at the Radisson Blu Olumpia. Although I had been unable to sleep on the red-eye from JFK, I wasn't able to nap before the tour meeting; I tried, but it just wasn't happening.
Simona, our tour director, is also my age, and is a native Lithuanian, married to a Slovenian man. They split their time between Vilnius and Ljubljana. Our Welcome Dinner was pleasant enough, no matter the country, no matter the tour guide, the welcome dinners are pretty much always the same. Details on how the tour will run, how to reach her, giving out the "whispers" (small devices with earpieces so that we can hear the guide without the guide yelling), and introductions. Our group had 39 people in total, so full, but still a handful of empty seats on the bus to allow for some freedom of movement.
A bit more about my first destination. The capital's name is Tallinn (pronounced tah-lin as Estonian always emphasizes the first syllable). Estonian is their only official language and it belongs to the Finn-Euro language group (related to Hungarian and Finnish). Unlike English, Estonian has no prepositions, they simply change the ending of their nouns (there are 14 cases or endings to their nouns). The letter A is always pronounced the same (ahh), no matter the location inside the word. The colors of the Estonian flag are the colors of their winter: blue for sky, black for forest, and white for snow.
Cheesecake (noun) a dessert consisting of a creamy filling usually containing cheese baked in a pastry or pressed-crumb shell
Back when I started this blog I used to include the definition of a word at the end of each post. As I blogged more frequently, the practice became mostly extinct. The last time I posted a cheesecake recipe (Caramel-Nut Shortbread Cheesecake) was in 2015, but I assure you I have made my fair share since that time. But back to the definition, when I looked it up I was surprised by two things: 1) the phrase "usually containing cheese" and 2) the second definition, which I have never heard used (they compare it to how we use the term "beefcake"). Since the word has been around since the 15th century and I was intrigued I admit to spending several minutes searching the web for recipes from back then (and yes, every one I found used cheese, so the mysterious definition remains).
Anyway, as is my typical process, when my Mom asked me to create one for Family Lunch I began contemplating the ingredients I had on hand and what recipes I could meld into something new. Yes, much to the chagrin of my youngest brother, I rarely follow a recipe exactly as written down. So many areas of life require strict discipline, but I do not believe that cooking is one of those areas. If you made it this far and would like to simply print the recipe, you can do so here. For the usual food-blog step-by-step with photos and narration, read on friends!
DULCE DE LECHE CHEESECAKE
Crust Ingredients: 1 pkg/sleeve of graham crackers, crushed or 1 ¼ cups graham cracker crumbs 7-8 TBSP (1 stick) of melted butter pinch of salt 2 TBSP sugar (optional) 1 cup (12oz or 13.4oz can) Dulce de Leche. You can sometimes find Dulce de Leche near the sweetened condensed milk or in the international aisle at the grocery store. Otherwise, try out this recipe for making your own and then let me know how it worked!
Filling Ingredients: 4-8oz white chocolate chips or chopped bar (4) 8oz pkg of cream cheese (softened to room temp) 1 cup of hastily poured brown sugar (unpacked). White sugar is also fine, but I wanted the contrast between the batter and the white chocolate bits (it didn't work, but I tried). 4 large eggs 2 TBSP all-purpose flour 1 tsp pure vanilla extract ½ tsp salt
Ganache/Glaze: 4 oz. bittersweet chocolate (chips or coarsely chopped bar). Feel free to use an entire bag (in which case double the other ingredients), but you honestly do not need more. ¼ cup (4 TBSP) butter, cut into pieces 1 TBSP heavy cream Caramel sauce/topping (optional, I simply had some on hand and thought it went well with the bottom layer of dulce de leche carmely-ness) Coarse sea salt (optional, I simply had some on hand)
Start by preparing your 9" spring-form pan. If using a water bath, wrap the bottom of the pan in foil (and test that you have another pan large enough to house the pan and the water).
If your white chocolate is in a bar, coarsely chop it and set aside.
Preheat oven to 375F. Melt your butter (however you prefer) and then stir it together with the graham cracker crumbs. Evenly spread out the crust mixture into the pan and then press firmly into the bottom of the pan (I like to use some plastic wrap or wax paper on my hand, but it isn't necessary). Bake for 6-8min; remove the pan and then lower temperature to 325F.
Open the can of dulce de leche and spoon out onto the crust (it will be very thick and unwieldy). Try to gently spread it around to make an even layer (the warm pan/crust should help, but it need not be perfect). Set aside to cool, refrigerating is optional.
If you plan to use the water bath, boil water (a tea kettle is handy for this). If you'd rather not bother, I think it's fine. I've made cheesecakes with and without the water bath and as you can see at the end here, I still had cracks (I think I overcooked it or should have put it on the bottom oven rack). Since we're covering any cracks that appear on the top of our cheesecake with ganache...well, you decide.
In a large bowl, with a hand mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar together. Add eggs, one at a time, then flour, vanilla, and salt. Attempt to uniformly pour about ½ of the filling onto your crust, then gently encourage the batter to the edges of the pan with a spatula. Mix your white chocolate into the remaining batter in your bowl and then repeat filling up your pan – smoothing the top as much as possible.
Place your springform pan into your water bath pan and gently pour the hot/boiling water
into the sides of the main pan, being careful the water level doesn’t reach
the foil level. You want a few inches of water up the side of the
spring-form pan, but it's an art, not a science (according to me, anyway). Carefully transfer the cheesecake & waterbath into the oven and
bake about 1 hour and 20min (until the center only slightly jiggles).
While the cheesecake is baking, wash your dishes. Yep, you’ll appreciate it when they’re done, plus there is plenty of time to wait. Once the cheesecake is finished baking, turn off the oven, prop open the oven door (a wooden spoon is good for this) and leave the cheesecake inside to cool for an hour. Then remove the cheesecake and depending on the temperature, allow it to set for another 30-40minutes while you create the glaze.
Despite the water bath, it still cracked, but I believe that is because I didn't put it on the bottom rack.
NOTE: If you will be presenting this cheesecake outside of the pan, refrigerate it for several hours (or overnight) and remove from the spring-form pan prior to glazing (allowing the glaze to drip down onto the sides for a classy presentation).
Heat the chocolate, butter, and cream in a double boiler (or in the
microwave at 30 second intervals), stirring until smooth. Allow the glaze to cool
for about 10 minutes and then pour over the cheesecake evenly (you may need to use a spatula if you want it spread uniformly).
Refrigerate for 4+ hours, or overnight. Before serving, allow it to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes so that the glaze does not crack when you cut into it. If using the caramel sauce & sea salt, you can drizzle sauce over the ganache before or after you cut the cheesecake, and the salt can be sparingly sprinkled over-top the caramel.
Devour....or daintily consume, the choice is yours.
.jpg)
