Great Grandpa Gus' Cheesecake Salad

I've decided to take over a family tradition.  My Grandma Harms has traditionally made this awesome cheesecake salad on our family holidays.  Times have slowly changed.  I'm no longer a kid, going to grandma's house for holidays.  Now my nieces and nephews are going to their grandma's house and while I'm super lucky to still have most of my grandparents around, it's time for grandma to come sit and relax and just be "gg" (great grandma)  

The bad thing about this is that I'm still in search of the perfect jello mold.  I've made the salad 2-3 times now but I need a traditional jello mold. I hold this salad to such I standards that it needs to be perfect! (Maybe jello molds just aren't as popular as they used to be) I have things to drop off at good will anyway so I'll go check it out.  

True I've kind of just snatched this torch, but I don't want a tradition to die and my family is pretty stinking important.  Plus, taking a cheesecake salad to dinner is a whole lot easier than a couple kids, which my sister Jessica has going on, Stephanie has been super busy with work (and the last muffins she brought me, one was burnt to a crisp!) and Gus would take hours to find the ingredients in the store (even though his name IS Gus)  So I guess it's my duty!  Maybe Steph can start making Grandma Renzelman's famous rolls...

Grandpa Gus’ Cheesecake 

Ingredients:

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin

½ c. cold water

¼ tsp. salt

2 eggs (separated)

1 (6oz.) can frozen orange juice concentrate

1 tsp. grated orange peel

3 c. creamed cottage cheese

1 c. heavy cream, whipped (or one small box cool whip)

1 can mandarin oranges

1 jar maraschino cherries

    

Directions:

Soften gelatin in water.  Mix ¾ cup sugar and salt in the top of double broiler.  Beat together egg yolk and concentrated orange juice and add that to sugar mixture.  Cook over boiling water stirring constantly until slightly thickened, (about ten minutes)   Remove from heat, add softened gelatin and orange peel.  Cool. Stir in cottage cheese.  Chill stirring occasionally until mixture mounds slightly when dropped from spoon.  Fold in whipped cream.  Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry.  Add remaining ¼ cup sugar.  Beat until its very stiff. Fold meringue into cheese mixture.  Turn into a 8” spring foam pan.  

Let it set overnight.  When removed decorate with oranges and cherries.