Whenever you decide to add a truly elegant cheesecake as your dessert, make certain its look on the plate is as elegant as the as the sweet morsel, itself. A meal, particularly at the end, should appeal to the visual sense too. Here are some tips, but, of course, you may add your own individual touches.

The appearance of the plate impacts the presentation as much as what you place on it. Of course, your everyday dishes will do the job. But the expanded storage areas in modern pantries permit many of us to keep specialty plates. Many people have unique salsa and chip servers, as opposed to the typical bowls. Why not choose plates that you use for the spectacular dessert celebrations?

Berry Cheesecakes come in a variety of berry alternatives. My favorite is actually the rather little known Marionberry, found only in Oregon but available online. The most clear choice for adding beauty to the plate would be to add fresh berries matching the flavor of the cake. But I prefer to add a variety of my favorite berries--raspberries, strawberries and blueberries.

Pumpkin Cheesecake: This is a favorite of the holiday time and other times. Shake a dusting of nutmeg around the platter--but not on the dessert, itself. Alternatively, consider shaking a little cinnamon on both the serving dish and the cake.

New York Cheesecake: This is what most people would think of as the plain or 'unflavored' cheesecake. Frankly, it is anything but unflavored! However, the taste is one that will adapt well to almost all additions. Well, maybe not asparagus! I suggest that you consider picking up on the richness of this versatile cheesecake by drizzling a generous amount of hot fudge around the serving plate.

Key Lime Cheesecake: We want to compliment the hue of the dessert. Sprinkle mint leaves atop the cheesecake and serving plate. I often place approximately six or seven leaves per serving.

Sugar Free Cheesecakes--no sugar added: No matter what the flavor of the cake, a mint sprig atop the widest part of the dessert, will dress it up wonderfully without adding any additional, unwanted sugar.

There are oodles of possibilities ranging from matching, plain, white, square plates to purposely mismatched antiques that can be enjoyable to both locate and collect. Another option to think about is to serve dessert on planks made of a well grained hardwood. Despite what you might think, wood can actually be sanitized very easily, although, if that concerns you, simply place a doily under the dessert for simpler clean up. A friend of mine collected old license plates from various states, sanitized them, and sometimes serves dessert on the well travelled plates. It brings an unusual and carefree ambience to any occasion!

A gourmet cheesecake is certainly worth the expense, even though it may not be an everyday part of your diet. Times when you are about to splurge, celebrate with your vision as well as your sense of taste!