Here they are, the innards of my cheesecake laid out for you to scrutinize. The layers are clearly visible, my new go-to crust of shortbread cookie dough over which sits a smooth and luscious lemony cheesecake. Then there are the raspberries, thickened into a sweet sludge singing of fresh fruit. It all works very well, every element playing its part in the symphony of joy happening in your mouth.

It took time for me to let go of the graham crust so often seen in cheesecakes and now that I have moved on, there is no going back. I love the sturdiness a cookie dough provides, allowing easy cutting and lifting, no crumbly detritus scattered on every plate. This cake cuts like a dream, with clean, crisp edges and nice delineations between the layers, each segment standing on its own merit and merging into a delectable whole. Also, the shortbread base can carry so many flavour possibilites, from toasted coconut to lemon, vanilla, chocolate or hazelnut, a lovely cookie foundation from which your cake rises up and gets noticed. Every ounce of your being is urging you to do it!

Raspberry Lemon Cheesecake from Wanda's Pie in the Sky

Makes one 10-inch cake, serving 12-14 people

Crust: 3/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 1+3/4 cup all-purpose flour; 1/4 cup granulated sugar; 1/4 tsp. salt; 1 tsp. grated lemon zest; 1 egg, slightly beaten.

Filling: 1+1/2 pound cream cheese at room temperature; 1+1/4 cup granulated sugar, divided; 1 cup sour cream; 5 large eggs, at room temperature, separated; 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour; 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract; 2 tsp. grated orange zest; 1 tsp. grated lemon zest; 2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice.

Topping: 1/2 - 1 cup granulated sugar, depending on the sweetness of the raspberries; 2 tbsp. cornstarch; 1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice; 2 tsp. grated lemon zest; 1 pound raspberries.

Using a food processor or pastry cutter, process or cut the butter with the flour, sugar, salt and zest until mealy. Add egg and mix just until mixture begins to come together. Divide dough in half, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll out one piece of dough into a 10-inch circle. Place it onto the bottom of a buttered 10-inch springform pan and chill for 20 minutes. Roll out the remaining pastry into a strip 3-inches wide and line the sides of the pan with it, overlapping the bottom crust slightly. Trim the pastry just to the top of the pan. Chill while preparing the filling and topping. Reduce oven temperature to 350 F.

Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sour cream and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add egg yolks, flour, vanilla, zests and lemon juice and beat until very smooth. Beat the egg whites with the remaining 1/4 cup sugar until soft peaks form. Fold into cheese mixture and turn into the prepared crust. Bake for 15 minutes then reduce oven setting to 225 F and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the cake is no longer shiny. Chill for at least 8 hours or overnight before slicing and serving.

For the topping, combine sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Stir in the lemon juice and zest. Mix until smooth and gently stir in the fruit. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the fruit releases some juice. Increase the temperature to medium and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture thickens and begins to boil. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly but being careful not to crush the fruit. Taste for sweetness and add more sugar if needed. Cool slightly before pouring over the chilled cheesecake. Chill thoroughly before removing the cake from the pan or slicing. Store refrigerated in a closed container for up to 4 days.

Tips from me to you:

• It really is important to have the cream cheese and eggs at room temperature to avoid lumps and achieve maximum creaminess in your final product.
• I modified the crust technique by just pressing the shortbread dough onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. I also pre-baked it for 7 minutes at 350 F to make sure it crisped up nicely. You can see from my golden edged bottom crust that this was a good idea. Haven't tested this the other way, Wanda's way.
• True confession: I did not separate my eggs and everything worked out just fine, though Wanda's technique probably yields a fluffier result. I don't mind my cheesecake a bit dense, but if it is fluffiness you seek, separate your eggs.
• I find that light cream cheese bakes up beautifully and has better texture than regular cream cheese. The regular stuff feels somewhat sticky and heavy to me.
• Blueberries could also work well as a topping, using the same technique and measurements. If your topping feels too loose, mix another tablespoon of cornstarch with a tablespoon of cold water and add to the cooking fruit to thicken it up a bit more. My topping held together almost like a solid layer of pure fruit, which was nice, but it is perfectly OK to have a topping that is somewhat looser, oozing down gently over your slices of cake.
• And, finally, you can freeze this cake!

This may, truly, be the cheesecake of your dreams. It will satisfy a hunkering for a thick, gooey, sinfully rich, soul-satisfying dessert like nothing else I can think of. More inspiration for decadence can be found here:

A few weeks ago, I talked about our wonderful trip along the Icefields Parkway to Jasper. We have just received two new books which would have really enhanced our experience.

"Since moving to the Rockies of western Canada in 1984, Lynn Martel has spent countless hours and days exploring the mountain wilderness with her many experienced friends as well as some of the best known and well-informed professional guides in the outdoor adventure business...Her vast amount of experience and insight into the most popular activities available to tourists, locals and the most skilled and competent weekend warriors infuse this collection of 20 of her best adventure stories. Complete with colour photographs and maps, difficulty ratings, seasonal details and general information, these stories will inspire those seeking to experience adventures at their own level in and around Kananaskis Country, Canmore, Lake Louise and Banff, Yoho and Jasper national parks." (Syndetics)

"Canada's 42 National Parks are beautifully showcased in this first edition official guidebook for the 2011 100th anniversary of Parks Canada...this book will be a handy, practical, and extensively illustrated guide to help visitors plan and execute their trips to all the Canadian national parks. It also offers short excursions to 40 plus National Historical Sites and the four National Marine Conservation Areas. Written by authors who know Canada's national parks, this volume includes seasonal facts on these stunning and vital wilderness areas as well as guidance for getting there, when to go, how to visit, practical information on where to stay, and detailed descriptions of specific places within each park. Stunning photographs and custom, one-of-a-kind maps prepared by National Geographic cartographers enhance the entries." (Syndetics)

New books on environmental topics arrive every week at your library! Check these out for inspiration and information.

Eco Amazons: 20 Women Who Are Transforming the World by Dorka Keehn

An inspirational and motivating collection of stories of some of the women who are transforming, healing and protecting our world including L. Hunter Lovins, Annie Leonard and Alice Waters.

How Bad Are Bananas? The Carbon Footprint of Everything by Mike Berners-Lee

Read this book and get a sense for how our carbon footprint adds up – from text messaging to transatlantic flights and everything in between. (Then use this knowledge to help inform your choices). This book is humourous, engaging and very readable, despite all the numbers.

Climate Capitalism by L. Hunter Lovins and Boyd Cohen

Through hundreds of case studies from international corporations, small businesses, NGOs, and municipalities, Lovins and Cohen show that energy efficiency and renewable resources of a low carbon economy lead to increased profits and economic growth, whether you believe climate science, or not.

The Young Activists’ Guide to Building A Green Movement and Changing the World by Sharon J. Smith

Learn how to turn your ideas for a greener community, country and planet into action through youth success stories and advice from Sharon J. Smith, program advisor of Earth Island Institute’s Brower Youth Awards.

May 17

Uneventful drive back to Cairo. A stop half-way to fill up with gas, coffee and tea…the desert lasts almost all the way to Cairo, although as we come closer, the fields are green with many crops. New sub-divisions are being built with speed; some of them look quite fancy, although it’s a long (slow!) drive into Cairo. In the distance we can see the Giza Pyramids. The roads are crowded with enormous advertisement boards (some even animated!); interestingly, those featuring women have them scarf- and burqa-less, and all very “pale”!

Back home in Zamalak we decide to try a well-recommended restaurant that turns out to be a tented affair on the banks of the Nile; very nice and fancy!

May 18

Up early to grab a bite for breakfast and on to the station for our 8 am train to Alexandria. Arrived around 10:30 and cab to our hotel. The guidebook recommended a couple of old hotels, and ours – Windsor Palace exceeds expectations, certainly in terms of grand old rooms. The online booking didn’t work, but no fear they have plenty of room, and we have a huge “junior suite” on the 4^th floor overlooking the Corniche, and alive with blasting horns. We have 2 balconies and fabulous views to left and right (old Fort and Bibliotecha Alexandria respectively).

We visited the lovely, and very well laid out and described Alexandrian National Museum (Pharaohic, Greco-Roman and “modern” – Islamic to 19^th century floors). Then we made our way to the Bibliotecha (BA for those in the know!). We spent an hour or more touring the floors, seeing all the public art. It’s a very busy place (and not free!), with people coming and going non-stop. No bags are allowed, except computer bags for some reason. The kids’ library is for kids only! Outside it there were some plastacine models, one of which looked like a kids’ attempt to recreate Tahrir Square! We then went in search of a friend’s art exhibit, which was at the adjoining Convention Centre – nice!

Outside there was a demonstration in progress; people were carrying crosses so we assumed it was a Coptic protest of some sort. Later in the English language newspaper I saw that there has been a long-standing Coptic demo in Cairo and maybe this is in sympathy.

The guidebook talked about a café down by the water (the BA isn’t quite in the water; I thought it was, but it has its own reflecting pool), which we went in search of, passing first numerous very small, very cute kittens. Refreshed with juice and tea, Anna and I made our way slowly back to the hotel along the Corniche (more than the 10 minutes the hotel said!), while Colin went off to chase trolley busses. Some R&R in our lovely room, followed by dinner at a recommended fish restaurant where you choose the fish: the counter was almost as large as an old-fashioned English fish monger’s, full of fish, huge prawns, crabs, crayfish, etc. You choose your selections, they get weighed and you pay the price. We had a huge sea bass (old-time’s sake: in Tunis 34 years ago we ate amazing loup du mer!!!). half a kilo of huge prawns (about 6) and 3 small crabs. Once chosen we had to walk up some narrow windy stairs to the dining room, where the table was wiped because I asked, but then covered in paper place mats. The table was then covered in dips and mezzas of all kinds. We had only just started in on them when the fish came: wonderful and an enormous amount of fun! Luckily most places appear to take plastic, although this feast was under 200 pounds (divide by 6).

We were sitting at a window table and downstairs there was a man and his caleche, who was quite determined that we would take his carriage back, but they pester you so much it’s a real turn-off. A man selling huge shells also waved them up at us. Anyway, after dinner the caleche-man was determined that we’d go with him, but we were more determined that we would not. Eventually he gave up and we got a taxi (very few know any English, but passersby stop to help and explain to the taxi driver where you need to go). Although our hotel was actually only a few blocks down the Corniche, our taxi driver got lost and ended up fighting traffic in the left lane of a one-way road!!! Driving in Alexandria is not for the feint of heart!

The marriage of grains and vegetables allows for much textural interest and the gustatory interplay of flavours. When tomatoes, corn and roasted peppers are set against a palette of chewy, plump Israeli couscous, they become even more alluring than when featured solo. Perhaps the contrast of the grainy orbs to the juicy tomatoes is what works here, or could it be the starch in the pasta that sponges up the moisture from the chopped veg? Whatever the case, we have a most memorable dish on the menu.

Start off by toasting the Israeli couscous, adding a tablespoon of olive oil to a pot and browning 2 cups of Israeli couscous in it, over medium heat, stirring. The couscous will take on a deep golden hue and a toasty bite after cooking. Add in 2+1/4 cups of boiling water and a half a teaspoon of salt. Stir and let everything bubble away. When the couscous is almost tender, add in about 2 cups of corn kernals, either fresh or frozen. The brief cooking time left will soften the kernals, finish the couscous and give you a structure from which to add more details.

Taste the couscous when the water has evarporated to make sure it is tender. If it needs a few more minutes of cooking and the pot is dry, add a few spoonfuls of water and let the pot simmer a bit longer.

Now for the add-ins: I like the juiciness of fresh, chopped tomatoes and the full-bodied aroma of roasted peppers, cut into dice. You need something green and my go-to choice is fresh herbs. I had chives; I used chives. Some kind of nut is always welcome around here, so in went some toasted slivered almonds. The acerbic bite of onion rounds off flavours well, so chop up some sweet onion or shallots and include them in your creation. And that, my friends, is the whole story.

Now you may add in your seasonings. A splash of extra virgin olive oil makes good sense as does the grated zest and juice of a lemon. Salt and pepper should be added to suit your taste. Garlic almost always plays a supporting role in my salads, so why not use some here? Yes, it really works wonders, adding bite and sharpness and depth from a few cloves of a humble, common bulb. This salad keeps for a few days in the fridge and made for some easy, light lunches as well as solid side dishes for dinner with some butternut squash soup (more on that another day).

Israeli couscous, with its adorable orbs of toothsome texture, will add some substance to your selection of salads. Of course, it is also excellent served hot, as the cooked pasta that it is. Because I am part of an Italian family, pasta salads are not really anyone's top choice in my home, as we like our pasta piping hot and served immediately if not sooner. But I make an exception for Israeli couscous because it is so pleasantly enjoyable to eat and keep. No sticky, gummy, dried out cold pasta going on here, but tender little tidbits of grain-like noodles to incorporate into your marinated vegetable and herb concoctions. Merge cooked Israeli couscous with fresh summer vegetables for a fine marriage.

Find more fun recipes for your vegetables with these books: