When asked what my favorite movie is, I usually give the answer that it’s a tie between “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and “The Philadelphia Story.”

Since I decided to pair pot pie with “Eternal Sunshine,” I opted to make my pairing for the second half of this double-feature debut a dessert. So here we are with Philadelphia Cheesecake! This recipe is gluten-free, lactose-free, dairy-free and vegetarian. (The only thing keeping it from being vegan is the honey in the graham crackers.)

Crust
1 (5.6-ounce) package gluten-free graham crackers, crushed
0.25 cups margarine, melted
0.25 teaspoons cinnamon

Filling
4 (8-ounce) containers vegan cream cheese, softened
1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut cream
1.25 cups sugar
1 medium lemon, juiced and zested (reserve 1 tablespoon of juice for the topping)

Topping
1.5 cups strawberries, sliced
0.5 cups sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
half of a (3.5-ounce) dark chocolate bar, shaved

Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease your springform pan.

Crush your graham crackers and mix them with the melted butter and cinnamon. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the springform pan.

Using the whisk attachment in your stand mixer or a handheld mixer, beat the cream cheese until it’s smooth. Then add the coconut cream, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice.

Once it is evenly mixed, pour it on top of the graham cracker mixture.

Bake the cheesecake in the oven for 50 minutes, then turn the oven off and let it sit for 10 minutes. Let it cool at room temperature for 15 minutes, then move it to the refrigerator for at least four hours.

While the cheesecake is baking, start making the strawberry topping. Slice the strawberries and mix them with the sugar, corn starch and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium high heat.

When a jam has formed, turn off the heat and let it cool at room temperature for 15 minutes. Then put the topping in the refrigerator to cool more.

Once everything has cooled for a few hours, pour the strawberry topping over the top of the cheesecake. Place the cheesecake back in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

After that time passes, pull the cheesecake out and shave the dark chocolate over the top of the strawberries.

Remove the ring part of the springform pan. Slice and serve!

If you’re taking up baking, I recommend investing in either a covered cake plate or a large plastic bowl with a lid that you can flip over to store larger baked goods like cakes, cheesecakes or a stack of donuts. I’ve used my bowl for all of these things and more.

The Easy Route
The easiest route here is to buy a pre-made cheesecake from your grocery store. You can also get pre-made strawberry topping and chocolate shavings.

Many restaurants will also deliver a strawberry-topped slice of cheesecake right to your door.

The Pairing
For starters, I just want to clarify that I’m choosing the 1940 film starring Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and James Stewart — not the ’90s film “Philadelphia” starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington.

One of the reasons why I chose this pairing of cheesecake and “The Philadelphia Story” is because they both do a fantastic job of pairing the sweet and the sour.

While I was finishing up making my version of this cheesecake, it occurred to me that this cheesecake’s layers are great descriptors for the cast of characters. The cheesecake itself is Hepburn’s Tracy Lord, a self-described “unholy mess of a girl” that is equally sweet and sour. Stewart’s Macaulay Connor is a journalist who is mostly sweet and a little sour, just like the strawberry topping, while Grant’s C.K. Dexter Haven has all the bitterness of dark chocolate with just a tinge of sweetness there.

Meanwhile, the supporting cast of characters provides the crust, a sturdy base for the leads to let their flavors shine while also adding a little spice to add to the plot. In particular, Virginia Wielding is a scene stealer as Tracy’s younger sister, Dinah, and Roland Young is wonderful as Tracy’s Uncle Willie.

Speaking of the plot, here’s the basic premise: Tracy is about to be married to George Kittredge (John Howard). C.K., Tracy’s ex, starts meddling, mainly in the form of bringing two uninvited guests to the wedding: a journalist (Macaulay) and a photographer (Elizabeth Imbrie, who is Macaulay’s girlfriend). Ruth Hussey plays Elizabeth and also has some scene-stealing lines.

All of the cast members are at the top of their game in this screwball romantic comedy. The chemistry between Hepburn and Grant is magnetic. I anticipate one of their other team ups, “Bringing Up Baby,” being the star of a future blog post.

The screwball comedies of the ’30s and ’40s are one of my favorite subgenres of movies, so you can expect a few more pairings with those movies as well.

If you decide to make Philadelphia Cheesecake and/or watch “The Philadelphia Story,” let us know! Tag us in your Instagram posts & stories, tweets or TikTok videos: @veg_out_recipes

In case you missed it, find part one of our Veg Out launch double feature here (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” and a vegan, gluten-free pot pie).