Over the holidays, my wife and I baked a Tim Tam Cheesecake, not once, not twice, but three times!

(Shout out to Kris who gave me the recipe - see below.)

The Tim Tam Cheesecake takes the conventional cheesecake recipe and somehow manages to incorporate 2 packets worth of Tim Tams into the cheesecake as the base, filling, and topping!

The Tim Tam Cheesecake showpieces everything that's good about humanity. As a species, we know how to take a good thing, and make it even better.

We long for luxury - even in one of our most basic needs - i.e., food. Food doesn't merely sustain us. Food also looks good, tastes good, and pushes the boundaries.

That's why God uses food as one of the chief metaphors for his blessings to us.

We're told that being right with God is like dining at a luxurious banquet with God - where God hosts, serves outrageous food, and foots the bill.

There is luxury even in our most basic need to be at peace with God. Yes, there's salvation and forgiveness of sins, but there's so much more.

There's also the promise of a warm, personal relationship with a God who adopts us to be one of his children. We are family with God. Eating at God's family meal ...

... with Tim Tam Cheesecake served as the dessert, of course.

Recipe (modified from bestrecipes.com.au)

• 400 g (3 to 3.5 rows) Tim Tams
• 80 g butter melted
• 375 g cream cheese cubed softened
• 1/2 cup caster sugar (I use 1/4 cup)
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 1 cup thickened cream
• 3 tsp gelatine powder
• 1/4 cup boiling water
• 200 g white chocolate cooled melted (I use 100g)

• STEP 1 Place 250 g (1.5 rows) of the Tim Tams in a blender and process into fine crumbs.
• STEP 2 Add the butter and process to combine. Press the mixture into spring-form baking pan and refrigerate 30 minutes.
• STEP 3 Beat the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with an electric mixer until smooth, then beat in the cream.
• STEP 4 Mix the gelatine with the boiling water. Stir in the gelatine mixture, dissolved in 1/4 cup of boiling water and white chocolate.
• STEP 5 Chop the remaining biscuits (1 row) and stir into the cream cheese mixture then pour over the Tim Tam base.
• STEP 6 Cover and refrigerate until set.
• STEP 7 Sprinkle crushed Tim Tams (0.5 to 1 row) on top before serving

(if you don't want it to be so sweet, use less caster sugar and white chocolate)

Psalm 23:5-6

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