Life often imitates art, and these delicious recipes are no exception. A lemon blueberry swirled cheesecake echoes the movement in Vincent van Gogh’s “Starry Night;” its golden citrus and indigo ribbons capture the energy of a midnight sky. With bold geometric squares of roasted red pepper, basil pesto and zucchini, outlined in dramatic olive tapenade, this Piet Mondrian-inspired flatbread brings big flavor with a striking palette. Each dish celebrates color, contrast and creativity, just as our most cherished gallery pieces do. The only difference is that this art is good enough to eat.
RECIPE: Starry Night Swirled Lemon-Blueberry Cheesecake
Prep time: 30 minutes | Cook time: 2 hours 15 minutes | Chill time: 4 hours | Makes a 9-inch cheesecake
Ingredients:
Crust
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 10 tbsp melted butter
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
Blueberry Topping
- 16 oz frozen or fresh blueberries
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
Lemon Cheesecake
- 24 oz cream cheese, softened at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Zest and juice of 5 lemons
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 egg yolks, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper in the bottom and grease the sides.
- Combine the crust ingredients in a small bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the springform pan.
- Bake the crust for 10 minutes, then set aside to cool.
- Cover the outsides of the pan with aluminum foil and set prepared pan aside. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
- Combine ingredients for the blueberry topping in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Cook the mixture while stirring frequently, until the berries start to burst and the sauce begins to thicken. Remove the topping from the heat and let cool.
- In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar on low speed until smooth. Be sure to use low speed to reduce the amount of air added to the batter, which can cause cracks. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
- Add the sour cream, lemon juice and lemon zest and mix on low speed until well combined.
- Add the eggs one at a time, mixing slowly to combine after each addition, then add the egg yolks. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to make sure everything is well combined.
- Pour half of the prepared cheesecake mixture into the pan. Spoon half of the blueberry topping evenly across the cheesecake batter, and swirl it into the batter using a skewer or butter knife. Top with the second half of the cheesecake batter and spoon on remaining blueberry topping. Swirl the topping in with a skewer or knife.
- Place the prepared cheese on a rimmed baking sheet and transfer to the preheated oven. Add hot water to the rimmed sheet pan so that there is at least a half-inch depth. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, until center is mostly set with a small jiggle.
- Turn off the oven and leave the door closed for 30 minutes. Open the door a crack and let the cheesecake cool another 30 minutes. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and store in the refrigerator until chilled, about 4 hours.
RECIPE: Mondrian Flatbread
Prep time: 1 hour | Cook time: 12-15 minutes | Inactive prep time: 30 minutes | Makes a 9”x13” flatbread
Ingredients:
Crust
- 2 cups all-purpose or bread flour
- 1 tbsp dry active yeast
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¾ cup tepid water
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Olive tapenade
- 1 cup pitted black and kalamata olives
- 2 anchovies
- 1 tbsp capers
- 2 cloves garlic
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp fresh basil
- ½ tsp ground black pepper
Pesto
- 1 cup basil leaves
- ¼ cup toasted nuts
- 2 tbsp grated pecorino romano cheese
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
Toppings
- 8 oz ricotta cheese
- 1 tbsp dried basil
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
- Sliced zucchini or yellow squash
- Roasted red peppers
- Cherry tomatoes
- Fresh basil
Directions:
- Preheat oven to proof or 200˚F.
- Prepare the dough for the crust: Stir 1 cup flour, yeast, sugar, dried basil, salt and garlic together in a large bowl. Add water and olive oil to mixture and stir until a thick paste forms. Slowly add in second cup of flour and knead for 3-5 minutes, until a soft dough forms. Cover with a tea towel and let rise for 30 minutes in the warm oven.
- While the dough proofs, combine ingredients for the olive tapenade in a blender or food processor. Blend until desired texture is reached (ranges from chunky salsa to pureed paste).
- Pulse ingredients for pesto together until a smooth paste forms.
- Once dough has risen to about twice its size, roll it out to a 9” x 13” rectangle on a well- floured surface. Increase oven temperature to 400˚F. Transfer dough to a baking sheet.
- Combine ricotta, dried basil, olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Spread ricotta mixture on the flatbread dough. Top as artistically desired with sliced squash, roasted red peppers and cherry tomatoes.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes, until flatbread is golden brown and ricotta starts to brown and bubble.
- Finish topping with olive tapenade, pesto and fresh basil, to taste. Serve warm.
