Marbled Chocolate-Orange Cheesecake

[Philip & Karen Selwyn]

Since this recipe for Marbled Chocolate-Orange Cheesecake is from a
non-Jewish source, GOURMET, I suspect the magazine thought they were
merely providing a variation of the classic cheesecake recipe. I
suspect they did not know they were creating a fusion Jewish recipe.
The basic cheesecake is a classic Central and Eastern European dessert,
but the flavorings are pure Sephardic.

As Faye Levy explains in her INTERNATIONAL JEWISH COOKBBOK, "I learned
that chocolate was brought from the New World to Spain, but I was not
aware of the major role played by the Jews in introducing chocolate to
the rest of Europe. Parisian chef Alain Dutournier told me recently
that in his home region in southwestern France, near the border with
Spain, many of the master chocolatiers were of Jewish origin. Bayonne,
a major city in the region was the first city in France where chocolate
was made, and remains a chocolate center to this day. Chocolate making
in Bayonne was started by Jews who had settled in Southwest France after
being chased out of Spain during the Inquisition. The new product
rapidly gained favor in the area and spread throughout France."

Claudia Roden writes: "Grated orange zest, chocolate, and vanilla are
signs of an Iberian ancestry."

Karen Selwyn

* * * * * * *

Marbled Chocolate-Orange Cheesecake

For the crust:
1 cup chocolate wafer cookie crumbs
1/2 cup sifted confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:
2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
1 1/4 teaspoons freshly grated orange rind
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
5 large eggs at room temperature
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

For the glaze:
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup confectioners's sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Make the crust: In a bowl, combine the cookie crumbs and the
confectioners' sugar. Stir in the butter and press the mixture firmly
onto the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan.

Make the filling: In a large bowl with an electric mixer, cream together
the cream cheese and the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Beat in the orange juice, the rind, the vanilla, and the butter. Beat
the mixture until it is well combined. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time,
beating well after each addition. Transfer one fourth of the mixture to
a small bowl, and stir in the chocolate.

Pour the chocolate mixture back into the bowl containing the cream
cheese-egg mixture. Using a broad spatula, make swirls through the
mixture to achieve a marbled effect. Pour the batter into the
springform pan.

Bake the cheesecake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour. Turn the oven
off, and remove the cheesecake from the oven. Run a sharp knife around
the edge of the of the pan to help prevent the cheesecake from cracking.

Return the cheesecake to the oven, prop the oven door open sightly and
let the cheesecake cool in the somewhat open oven for 1 hour. Transfer
the cheesecake to a rack and let it cool completely.

Remove the rim of the pan and chill the cheesecake for at least 12 hours
and up to 24 hours.

Make the glaze: In a small bowl, combine the orange juice, the butter
and the confectioners' sugar. Blend well. Spread the glaze over the
top of the cheesecake.