Key West Cheesecake Food

KEY WEST CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• In medium bowl, beat all 'Crust' ingredients untill crumbly. Press evenly in greased, round pan. Bake 12-14 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Place tin foil over the bottom and sides of crust in the pan. Reduce oven heat to 325°F.
• Beat all 'Filling' ingredients together in large bowl, beating the eggs in one at a time.
• Remove off of pie crust. Pour 'Filling' mixture into crust evenly. Bake 1 hours and 10-20 minutes( or a little less than 70 minutes) until set. Cool 15 minutes.
• Loosen cheesecake along pan with knife after cooling, but do not remove from pan. Refridgerate uncovered for 3 hours until chiled. Then cover and refidgerate 9 hours.
• In saucepan, mix 'Key Lime Curd' and cook 8 minutes, stirring constantly until it thickens and coats back of stirring spoon. Spread over cheesecake. (Store cheesecake in fridge for up to 3-4 days if there are any leftovers).

KEY LIME CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• In a mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, 2 tablespoons of the sugar and graham cracker crumbs. Mix well. Press the crust firmly over the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. Set aside.
• In a saucepan dissolve the gelatin the key lime juice, about 5 minutes. Add 1 1/4 cups of the sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and lime zest. Mix well. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture thickens and is pudding like, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth. With the mixer running, add the lime mixture slowly and beat until smooth. Remove the mixture and turn into a bowl and cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, stirring every 10 minutes.
• In a bowl of an electric mixer with a whip attachment, place the egg whites, pinch of salt and remaining 1/4 cup of the sugar. Whip on medium high until stiff peaks form. Remove the lime and cheese mixture from the refrigerator. Fold the egg whites into the lime mixture and blend thoroughly. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours.
• Remove from the refrigerator. Run a sharp knife along the sides of the pan and remove the spring-form. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the top of the cake.
• For the candied zest: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the simple syrup and the lime zest. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the zest from the liquid and cool on parchment paper.
• Cut the cake into individual servings. Garnish with candied lime zest and mint sprigs.