Years ago, when the family got together at the home of my brother, Bill White, we always knew we would have a wonderful meal. It might be a huge roast of beef dinner, or sometimes just hors-d'oeuvres and desserts. But, when the desserts came, it was a happy surprise because we always got at least two. Sometimes fresh berry or apple pie would appear, or a fabulous baked Alaska.
But always there was Bill's great cheesecake. We think he makes the best! You see, my brother followed our father's profession. He was a chef, and a great one at that. My father, William White, practised his art for more than 15 years at the Queen Hotel on Hollis Street, in Halifax. I remember, as a kindergarten student, I had my own special table there in the kitchen, and would go through the line pointing to whatever I wanted to eat that day. Little did I know that Dad had already told the line chef what I was to have.
As a young boy, Bill was always asking questions about cooking. Why do you do this? How do you do that? Finally, he decided to make it his life's calling. He joined the navy and became a "cook." There were no chefs in the navy. They were always called cooks. After retiring from the navy, he worked for many years as a private chef in a Halifax home. At 84, he's retired now.
Bill still occasionally makes his cheesecake, but not as often as I do. I have served it to a host of relatives and friends over the past 20-odd years. Sometimes, it's topped with raspberry purée, sometimes blackberry, blueberry or bakeapple. Sometimes I offer two or three choices, bringing each to the table in a pretty pitcher. (If you can get homemade elderberry jelly, it makes a delicious topping.) I serve the cheesecake at the table, pour on the purée, top it with a dollop of whipped cream, and then a little more purée to give it colour. Then I sit back and wait for the compliments.
