My mother makes one of the best cheesecakes I've ever tasted, and the only thing better than having a bite is the story behind the recipe. Mom attended Mills College in San Francisco Bay area and became great friends with the daughter of Vic Bergeron, better known as Trader Vic. In addition to inventing the Mai Tai, Bergeron taught my mom how to cook. This is my mom's adaptation of Vic's cheesecake recipe. Trust me, it's killer.

Here is my fave fondue recipe...it's cheeky, but it's good. Believe it or not, cheese has seasons. While great cheese is realistically an exercise in controlled spoilage, there is such a thing as a freshness factor, even in reference to what the famed French gourmand Brillat Savarin referred to as "smelling like the feet of God". Because the best milk, with the richest flavor and highest fat content comes from animals grazed on fully developed summer time pastures redolent with clover and other greenery, look for fermier (farmhouse) cheese made from mid to late summer milk. This type of milk produces the best of the fresh goat cheeses in early fall, the best bloomed rind cheeses such as Brie or Camembert in mid October and so on.

While the length of the affinage (cheese ripening) is less meaningful for fresh cheeses or 6 year old aged cheddars, timing can be crucial for the cheeses that need to age 4-6 months when it comes to eating. Ideally one likes to eat cheese at its peak of flavor and dozens of the worlds best cheeses are ready right now. Gruyere, Appenzeller, Vacherin, Vermont Shepherd, Fontina d'Aosta and especially Roquefort and Gorgonzola are amongst the best bets. Compose a seasonal cheese board for your next weekend get-together and then use the leftover nubbins to make this incredible fondue.

Cheesecake Beignets Cheesecake:½ pound cream cheese5 tablespoons sugarZest of ½ lemon1/8 teaspoon kosher salt6 tablespoons sour cream3 eggs4 tablespoons milk4 tablespoons heavy creamButter and flour for cake pan 

1. Preheat oven to 325
2. Combine cream cheese and sugar in an electric mixer and cream together. Add zest, salt and sour cream and continue mixing.
3. Add eggs one at a time and mix until blended.
4. Add milk and cream and mix until all ingredients are just combined. DO NOT OVERMIX.
5. Butter and flour an 8-inch cake pan and spoon mixture into pan. Place in a bain-marie and bake for one hour. Reduce heat to 300 and bake for an additional 30 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

  Cheesecake Beignets:1 cup confectioners’ sugar1 cup corn starch4 eggs lightly beaten21/2 cups grated coconut1 baked cheesecakeVegetable oil for deep fryingPowdered Sugar 

1. Combine sugar and cornstarch in a bowl and mix well
2. Ready beaten eggs in second bowl and grated coconut in third bowl
3. Using a small ice cream scoop, form cheesecake into balls. Coat with sugar/cornstarch mixture, dip into beaten eggs, and roll in grated coconut.
4. Heat oil and fry Beignets until golden brown. Drain Beignets on paper towels and dust with powdered sugar.

This is the ultimate party food! This recipe is one my father has served at every cocktail party he has ever had in his house. He serves them to couples before dinner or for crowds at some of his bigger swankier affairs. They always disappear fast, are delicious, and are addictively easy to make and serve. They  look complicated, but done once, you'll realize that the process is really easy—and the freeze and serve option is fantastic.I also make these with pancetta and Taleggio, or with a blend of cheeses for my vegetarian pals.