We've been with you throughout the pandemic, the vaccinations and the reopening of schools, businesses and communities. There's never been more of a need for the kind of local, independent and unbiased journalism that The Day produces. Please support our work by subscribing today.

Published December 21. 2021 9:00AM | Updated December 21. 2021 9:43AM

Christmas has become a quiet day. My own daughter, Darcy, is in California with her husband. Stepchildren are all over the country and their children are, too.

My stepson and his wife, whom I adore, are divorced and my daughter-in-law will spend her day with her parents, who are quite old and don’t drive the nearly two hours to get to Newburyport.

I won’t be alone, though. Noank friends, who are not very religious and don’t have children, have invited me with their relatives to their house for Christmas Eve dinner. This year their new tradition is to give a book as a Secret Santa. This may be my favorite Christmas Eve: good conversation, excellent food, good wine and a book to read after I get home.

I will take a few bottles of wine. I used to buy three cases — two red and one white — for the year; now it is two white and one red, but it lasts for a couple of years!

I will also take dessert. Christmas is like its cousin the month before, Thanksgiving, and is not a day for dieting so I will make a tiramisu cheesecake. It is beyond delicious, purely hedonistic and will leave lots of extra for Judy and Dick.

Adapted from a recipe given to me by Aimee Pezzello from New London

½ teaspoon instant espresso powder (or regular ground espresso)

3 8-ounce packages cream cheese (or light or Neufchatel cheese) at room temperature

4 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons instant espresso powder (or regular ground espresso)

1 square (one-ounce) semisweet chocolate, grated

Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch spring form pan. Stir butter and espresso powder in small bowl until combined. Stir in crumbs until crumbs are evenly moistened. Pat evenly over bottom of prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Keep oven on. Tightly cover outside bottom and sides of spring form pan with heavy-duty foil.

Filling: Meanwhile, beat cream cheese and mascarpone in large mixer bowl at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar, scraping down sides of bowl with rubber spatula, until completely smooth, 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium and beat in vanilla and salt. Add eggs one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Pour 4 cups of filling over crust in prepared pan and place pan in larger roasting pan. (This will avoid extra filling messing up the oven).

Dissolve espresso powder into hot water. Fold into remaining filling with brandy and grated chocolate. Pour over filling in prepared pan. Place roasting pan into the oven and bake for around 1 1/4 hours. Turn oven off and let cheesecake coast in the oven with the door ajar by at least 4 to 6 inches. Remove on a wire rack and let cool.

Serve cool or refrigerate for a day or two, bringing up to room temperature before serving.

Lee White lives in Groton and can be reached at leeawhite@aol.com.

Weekly sessions with musicians' group in Old Lyme provides Niantic man with something indefinable.

A delay in permitting has pushed some of the construction work at State Pier out to 2022, but the Connecticut Port Authority reported on Tuesday that the project remains on its projected $235 million budget.

Groton-New London Airport in line for funding, and the state Department of Transportation will have certainty in funding projects on its priority list, including the Gold Star Memorial Bridge, legislators announced.

The State Bond Commission approved on Tuesday funding for a host of projects, including to improve recreational areas in Groton and New London.

Martin, Cole propel UConn past Marquette 78-70

Bond Commission approves funding to improve recreational areas in Groton, New London

'Road Ends': Car stolen in Groton turns up in East Lyme lake

Clingan and Rosa excited about continuing journey to UConn

H.S. basketball: Perry lifts New London boys to easy win over East Hartford

In Tuesday speech, Biden will try to rally exhausted Americans against omicron threat

Manchin upends Biden's agenda, won't back $2 trillion bill

Trump says he got COVID-19 booster, hears boos from crowd

Blumenthal helps celebrate America's Communist Party

Connecticut Port Authority retains confidence in cost of upgraded State Pier project

Anne Drago: All-Area Field Hockey Player of the Year

Boys' basketball highlights: Bristol Central 74, East Catholic 59

Boys' basketball highlights: Waterford 59, Ledyard 47