What up, y’all? It’s nearly 2:00 in the P of M and I’m still pajamafied, waiting for the final step in making a mascarpone cheesecake for tomorrow’s Easter dinner at Teresa’s. Because what better way to commemorate the resurrection of Our Lord than with dairy desserts, I ask you?

(Yes, that was me cracking up last night at Star Market after thinking, “What’s the preferred bread of stockcar racers? NASCAR-pone.”)

I’ve actually never attempted a cheesecake, the lack of a springform pan being the showstopper (or as my manager says at least 34 times each day, “the gating factor”). The recipe said that it should take 30 minutes of “active time,” but it lies. I started this thing at 11:00 this morning. I hope it turns out OK, even though my pan is 3 inches greater in diameter than the recipe calls for, and even though the sour cream topping was supposed to be “spread gently and evenly, leaving a 1/4-inch border around edge” but instead ran to the edge of the crust and even dripped down the side a little.

Here’s the semifinal result (the money shot will be tomorrow, when it’s sliced and has balsamic strawberries spooned on top):