Zwieback Cottage Cheese Torte

Cheesecakes and other dairy treats are customary for the Jewish festival of Shavuoth.

To make crust: Lightly oil a 9-inch Springform pan, or coat it with non- stick cooking spray.

Place zwieback in a food processor with sugar and cinnamon. Add oil, butter and 2 tb. water. Process until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Reserve 2 tb. of the crumb mixture for the top of the torte. Press the remaining crumb mixture into the bottom and sides of the Springform pan. Set aside.

To make filling: Preheat oven to 325F. In a small bowl, combine milk and cornstarch. Whisk until smooth; set aside. In a food processor, puree cottage cheese and sour cream until smooth, about 1 minute. Add sugar, egg yolks, lemon juice, lemon zest, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and milk mixture and process.

In a large mixing bowl, beat 4 egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold the cheese mixture into the egg whites with a spatula. Pour into the prepared pan.

Sprinkle with the reserved crumbs and bake for 1 hour, or until well puffed. (There will be a few cracks.) Turn off the oven and leave the torte in the oven for 1 hour with the door closed, to cool gradually. Remove from oven; transfer to a rack to cool completely. (The cake may be stored, covered, for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.) Serve garnished with strawberries.