lemon curd cheesecake
with strawberries
This cheesecake is pure heaven and perfect to serve to your sweetheart on Valentine's Day. This version is topped with delicious strawberries - substitute with your favourite fruit or try the cranberry orange sauce for a special touch. Usually, you have to let cheesecake sit out for a little while so soften up the texture, but I found this one to be quite soft, so feel free to serve it straight out of the fridge.
METHOD
Make lemon curd:
Whisk together zest, juice, sugar, and eggs in a two-quart heavy saucepan. Add butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubbles appear on surface, about six minutes. Force lemon curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a wide shallow dish, scraping bottom of sieve, then cover surface with wax paper. Cool completely, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.
Make and bake crust:
INGREDIENTS
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Invert bottom of springform pan (to make it easier to slide cake off bottom), then lock on side. Stir together crust ingredients in a bowl, then press onto bottom and one inch up side of springform pan. Place springform pan in a shallow baking pan and bake 10 minutes, then cool crust completely in springform pan on a rack.
For lemon curd:
1 tsp finely grated fresh lemon zest 1/2 C fresh lemon juice
1/2 C sugar 3 large eggs 1/2 stick (1/4 C) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Make filling and bake cheesecake: Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
For crust:
1 1/3 C finely ground graham cracker crumbs (5 oz) 1/3 C sugar 1/8 tsp salt 5 tbs unsalted butter, melted
Beat together cream cheese and sugar in a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, one to two minutes. Reduce speed to low and add eggs one at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat in sour cream and vanilla until combined. Pour two thirds of cream cheese filling into crust, then spoon half of lemon curd over filling and swirl curd into filling with a small knife. (Avoid touching crust with knife to prevent crumbs getting into filling.) Bake cheesecake until set 1 1/2 inches from edge but centre trembles when pan is gently shaken, about 45 minutes. (Centre of cake will appear very loose but will continue to set as it cools.) Transfer springform pan to a rack and immediately run a knife around top edge of cake to loosen. Cool completely, about two hours, then chill, uncovered, at least four hours. Cut strawberries into 1/4 inch slices. Glaze the cheesecake with the remaining lemon curd. Top the cake with strawberry slices, starting from the outside and working your way in.
For filling:
3 (8-oz) packages cream cheese, softened 1 C sugar 3 large eggs 3/4 C sour cream 1 tps vanilla Special equipment: a 9- to 91/2-inch spring-form pan 2 pints/baskets of strawberries Cranberry Orange Sauce: Combine one cup fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped, 1/4 cup granulated sugar and two tablespoons orange juice in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved and the cranberries start to break down. Remove from heat and cool completely before serving. Top cheesecake before serving.
WINTER 2017 www.pei-living.ca
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