Weekends are For Farmer's Markets - Ginger Lime Cheesecake

G hates farmer's markets. Perhaps that is somewhat strong. As we tell the kids, he does not prefer farmer's markets. This weekend, for the first time in over a year, we ventured back to the market. Pre-kids, we would go late in the morning and leisurely investigate the week's local offerings. My goal was to get there just as they opened to avoid some of the crowds.

And I had a plan. I'd take a quick shower. I would wake the kids up and transfer them straight to the car. And the kids could get breakfast at the market. Everything went according to plan, but G came home very perplexed about our middle-of-the-night sojourn. Weekends are for sleeping in and lounging.

The farmers market is a place to explore. Each week there is something new. As the season moves on, there are fresh fruits and vegetables. This week so many local farms had beautiful little plants ready to plant in the garden. Varieties of heirloom tomatoes I've never heard of and even Delicata squash plants too. Or, as G says, tiny plants. Everyone is out looking to support our community.

The vendors are all super friendly and love to chat. The local cheese vendor was impressed Poet and Flower were up and around. I think food helps a lot- not the healthiest of breakfasts, but the kids enjoyed a meat stick and chocolate Sacher cake pop made by a local Austrian baker.

G will argue that we can find all of these items elsewhere. You can get cheese and bread at the grocery store and vegetable plants at the nursery. No need to awaken at the crack of dawn and rub elbows with a lot of strangers.

This week I made a ginger-lime cheesecake, thinking of local cheese and a few twists. I'm not a big fan of cheesecake. It sometimes can be heavy and just too sweet. I remember cheesecake as a kid that weighed twenty pounds. This is a great cheesecake recipe from Gourmet I've been making since medical school. I loosely adapted the recipe. I added ginger and fresh lime to make it just a little tart and spicy. And a few bites of cheesecake is plenty, so I made them in 4 1/2 inch tartlet pans. They are small and perfect for serving individually. I also toned down the sugar so the lime and ginger shine. G was impressed and devoured his and wanted more.

Perhaps next weekend, I will explore the farmers' market on my own. Or maybe we can win G over with some cake.

Ginger Lime Cheesecake

This is a great cheesecake that it is not too dense. Ginger and lime balance the creaminess of the cheese nicely. You can easily make these in ramekins or in a larger springform pan.

Loosely adapted from Gourmet, 1999

8 servings.

• 1 8-oz packagecream cheese (softened, room temperature)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (grated)
• 1 teaspoon lime juice
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• Pinch of salt

For crust

• 3/4 cups (about 3 oz) graham crackers
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350. Make the crumb crust and bake the pre-filled tart pan for 5 minutes. Let them cool a little, about 15 minutes.
2. With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add in the egg and beat at low until just incorporated. Add in the vanilla, sugar, ginger, lime juice, lime zest and salt. Beat again on low speed until just incorporated.
3. Fill each springform tartlett pan to the top. Bake 15 minutes until set.
4. Chill for 2 hours until set. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream or fresh fruit.

For crumb crust

1. In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until finely ground.
2. Stir together ground graham crackers, salt and butter.

3. Gently press them into the base of 6 4-1/2 inch tart pans.

I like to use a microplane grater to get the ginger very fine.