The Book of Cheesecakes

Variety abounds in an enticing collection that explores a perennial dessert favorite. Some recipes, such as pumpkin, pineapple and marbled cheesecakes, may be familiar friends, but a number of items tend toward the unusual, including white chocolate-and-chestnut and mango-and-raspberry offerings. Wheeler uses liquor to expand his flavor repertoire in wine-and-grape, Campari, Pernod and rum-and-raisin versions. Maids of honor and a cardamom-and-lime cheesecake lend the book an English flavor, while recipes such as paskha baked in a flower pot and cherry-cheese strudel stretch the book's format. A limited selection of savory items includes smoked-trout terrine and cranberry-turkey bake complete with a stuffing-mix crust. Wheeler also taps cheeses other than cream cheese: apricot-and-almond and spiced honey cheesecakes use Neufchatel while red-currant cheesecake and golden-raisin curd cake include cottage cheese, and fig-and-walnut cheesecake relies on ricotta. Wheeler, a pastry chef, is the author of Natural Desserts. Illustrations not seen by PW. (September)