That Vienna's Naschmarkt has transformed over the past ten years from a functional day-to-day market into one of the city's gastronomic hotspots can be put down, in no small part, to the work of the indefatigable Haya Molcho and her four sons who, in March 2009, opened their restaurant, NENI. As I explained in my November 2017 profile of the family published by Tablet, the Molchos were pioneers, broadening the definition of Levantine and indeed one might say Jewish food in Vienna, a city of kebab stands, beyond that which can be stuffed inside a pita. Thanks to their hummus, baba ganoush, and tabbouleh, NENI has become the brand and Haya the first lady of new Israeli cooking in Vienna. (Click the link to find out more.)
On their dessert menu you'll usually always find two items: their knafeh, with its crisp strings of pastry soaked in syrup hiding a ball of gooey, stretchy cheese beneath; and their cheesecake, which was inspired by Haya's trips to New York during the time that one of her sons was studying acting there. A dense, rich New York-style cheesecake is, as Haya says, almost impossible to find in Vienna, and she makes hers by, first, blitzing a plain biscuit like a Digestive or graham cracker to crumbs and combining it with melted butter and sugar. The mixture is pressed into a springform cake pan and baked in a low oven for 30 minutes and left to cool. The filling is a combination of cream cheese (best to use Philadelphia, I always think, if you can find it), ricotta, eggs, sugar, vanilla, lemon zest, chopped white chocolate, and a small amount of flour. Once poured atop the biscuit base, the cheesecake bakes for 40-60 minutes in a moderate oven. Each slice can be garnished with sour cream and served with fresh berries, as suits.
