Holiday hosting reaches new heights with inspiration from a neighbor’s decadent dinner spread
As the holiday party invitations start filling your inbox, the one from Cheryl Cloud is a ‘just say yes, clear the calendar and go’ fête that belongs in your planner in permanent ink. Her culinary talents warrant her opening a bakery or bistro, and if the Michelin Guide awarded home cooks with a “Must Stop Here” star, her dining room would be on the Louisiana list. No surprise, the architect by day considered culinary school some years back, and on second thought, kept her career in building design.
Cloud, who found her way to LSU from her home country of Mauritius in the early 2000s, moved into my neighborhood last year. A neighbor invited her to join our strolling supper club, and at each monthly event, she wondered aloud what she would make when it was her turn to host. I somehow had the impression that cooking wasn’t her thing until entering her home in September.
When the calendar rolled from summer to fall, Cloud produced a dinner party of mind-bending proportions. She greeted each guest with her house specialty cocktail and a platter of cheeses and sausages, identifying each with its name and source. While a dozen ladies mingled, she filled her kitchen island that flanks the elegantly dressed dining room with a banquet fit for royalty. We filled our plates with the crispest pork schnitzel, cooked to fork-tender perfection, vibrant green beans and dreamy mashed potatoes, luxurious with more butter than seems legal.
I wanted to know the details of each dish and decided to focus on the mashed potatoes, my first time to experience a forkful of something so delicious—equal parts light and rich. Then she revealed her secret, “I learned this recipe in my cooking class.” Hanging on every word, I pressed for more. “In 2021, I received a gift certificate for Louisiana Culinary Institute and held onto it like a golden ticket,” she said, her dark brown eyes twinkling at the memory. “I have taken 13 classes, and I am scheduled for two more.”
As she relocated the dinner platters from the kitchen island to make room for the dessert buffet, she laid out her collection of recipe booklets from each of the cooking classes. “We had a cheesecake class. I learned so many tips, so invaluable. Now, the tops of my cheesecakes never crack. It works every time,” she said with evident glee. This skill was on display with a whole picture-perfect cheesecake, ready for topping with a bowl of fresh strawberry sauce. There were miniature chocolate cheesecakes with chocolate drizzle and fresh raspberries, a tower of snowball cookies and a fresh berry pie with lattice crust. “I love the baking classes! Oh, and steak night was a lot of fun.”
The holiday party menu dazzled accordingly. Her signature, uncracked creamy cheesecake was served holiday-festive with bourbon praline sauce. For a pick-up nibble, she made a sausage roll wreath—truly edible art—with a cranberry barbecue sauce for dipping. To complement the menu, she created a satsuma elderflower martini with an optional sugared rim and an elegantly coiled satsuma twist.
Just say yes to visiting with friends, leisurely dinners, cooking with passion and taking classes to keep learning the craft. Happy holidays to all, and always happy cooking!
Cheryl Cloud’s Picture-Perfect Cheesecake
Cheryl calls it New York style; I call it a delicious showstopper. Topped with the bourbon praline sauce, it’s a lovely holiday finale. In the summer, Cheryl adds a tablespoon of lemon juice to the batter and tops it with a mountain of fresh berries.
For the Crust:
2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs (2 sleeves of a package)
1 stick butter, melted
1 Tbsp. each granulated sugar and brown sugar
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine graham cracker crumbs with melted butter and sugars.
Generously spray a 10-inch springform pan with Baker’s Joy. Press crust mixture evenly into bottom of the pan. Bake until not quite set, about 5-6 minutes. Let cool on a rack while preparing filling.
Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.
For the Filling:
4 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese at room temperature
1 (4-oz.) stick unsalted butter at room temperature
5 large eggs at room temperature
16 oz. sour cream at room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. lemon zest
In large bowl of stand mixer and using paddle attachment, beat together cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating each one in until incorporated before adding the next. Add sour cream and beat until smooth.
Combine 1 1/2 cups sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl and gradually add to mixture while mixing on medium speed. Scrape sides of bowl, add vanilla extract and lemon zest and continue mixing 1 minute.
Pour cheesecake mixture into crust. Wrap pan in a double thickness of heavy-duty foil and place pan inside a roasting pan. Place roasting pan on center rack of 300-degree oven. Carefully pour hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up the side of the springform pan to create a bain marie (hot water bath).
Bake cheesecake in its water bath until perfectly light golden on top, about 2 hour to 2 hours and 15 minutes, depending on oven. Turn off oven and let it begin to cool in oven for 1 hour with door closed. Then crack open oven door and let it remain in oven for 15 minutes. Carefully remove from water bath and let cool completely on a rack before refrigerating and serving. Top as desired or serve neat slices of this classic cheesecake with toppings on the side. Wrap any extras in plastic wrap and keep refrigerated for up to 5 days.
Makes 16 servings.
Tips for perfect cheesecake:
- Have all filling ingredients at room temperature, or 68 degrees
- Baking in a bain marie makes a creamy cheesecake
- Wrapping the springform pan in foil prevents water from the bain marie from getting into the pan
- Lowering the temperature gradually keeps the cheesecake from cracking
- Cooling to room temperature before covering and refrigerating keeps steam droplets from forming
- Cutting the cheesecake with a knife dipped in hot water, then wiped dry in between cuts, makes perfect slices
Bourbon Praline Sauce
This is a luscious sauce for the cheesecake and also great on ice cream or tucked into pretty jars for gifting.
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups pecans—2 cups chopped, 1 cup whole
1 oz. bourbon
Combine brown sugar, cream and butter in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir to dissolve sugar and let boil 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Add vanilla and salt, stirring to blend. Add pecans and stir. Add bourbon and stir to combine. Let sauce cool slightly before topping cheesecake. Transfer remaining sauce to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to a week.
Makes about 4 cups.
Cheryl baked and served her wreath on her round baking stone for effortless presentation. Alternatively, bake the rolls on a rimmed baking sheet and shape them into a wreath on a serving platter.
1 lb. bulk pork breakfast sausage
1 large egg, beaten in a small bowl
1/4 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. dry mustard powder
1 box puff pastry, thawed per package directions
Sprinkle of flour for rolling pastry
For egg wash and finishing:
1 large egg
1 Tbsp. water
Everything bagel seasoning (or other seeded topping)
Whisk together the egg and water to make an egg wash. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Combine sausage, 1 beaten egg, breadcrumbs, onion powder, garlic powder and dry mustard powder in a medium bowl. Mix gently to combine and divide mixture into 6 equal pieces and set aside while you prepare pastry.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll each sheet of pastry to an equal 1/8-inch thickness and cut each along the fold lines to make 6 long rectangles.
Roll each of the 6 pieces of sausage into long, snakelike rolls and place along the long side of each pastry. Brush exposed edge of pastry with egg wash and roll pastry over to enclose sausage. Place seam side down. Repeat with remaining pastry and sausage, and cut each long roll into 6 pieces using a sharp knife.
Arrange on a baking stone, pizza pan or rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper, leaving a finger-width between rolls. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with seasoning.
Bake until puffy and golden, about 15-20 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving with cranberry barbecue sauce.
Makes 36 rolls.
Cranberry Barbecue Sauce
This is a tangy, not-too-sweet dipping sauce. For a thinner consistency, add the juice of half an orange.
12 oz. fresh cranberries
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup ketchup
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 clove garlic, crushed
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer until cranberries are soft, about 15-20 minutes.
Let cool slightly and blend to create a smooth sauce (using immersion blender or transferred to a blender or food processor). Sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
Serve with sausage rolls for dipping.
This is a perfect batch cocktail. Do your measurements accordingly, using 1/2 oz. of each ingredient per serving.
Equal parts:
Vodka
Gin
Elderflower liqueur
Fresh satsuma juice
Fresh lime juice
Simple syrup
Combine all ingredients in a cocktail shaker half-filled with cracked ice. Shake vigorously and strain into martini glasses rimmed with sugar, if desired, and add a satsuma twist to make it festive.
