Lemony White Chocolate Cheesecake With Shortbread Cookie Crust Food

LEMON CHEESECAKE WITH SHORTBREAD COOKIE CRUST

Steps:

• Make crust:.
• Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium high speed for 3-4 minutes.
• Add flour and ground cookies to the mixture and blend for 3-4 seconds until fully incorporated.
• Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
• Bake the crust at 350° F for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Allow the crust to cool completely.
• Make cheesecake:.
• Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and smooth.
• Add the mascarpone cheese and sugar and continue to beat on medium speed.
• Add the eggs one at a time.
• Blend in the lemon zest and juice.
• Pour mixture into the cooled crust.
• Set the cheesecake pan into a roasting pan, and add enough water to the roasting pan to reach halfway up sides of the cheesecake pan.
• Place in a 350° F oven for approximately one hour or until the cake is set and the top is golden brown.
• Remove the cake from the roasting pan and place on a wire rack.
• Allow cake to cool slightly, then place the cake in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.

LEMONY WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place a 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan; set aside. , In a small bowl, combine the flour, confectioners' sugar and zest; cut in butter until crumbly. Press onto the bottom and 1 in. up the sides of prepared pan. Place on a baking sheet. Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack., In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in white chocolate, flour, cream, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour into crust. , Place pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan. Bake 65-85 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. , Remove pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour . Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan. Garnish with white chocolate and lemon zest strips if desired. Freeze option: Wrap individual portions of cheesecake in plastic wrap and place in a resealable plastic freezer bag. Seal bag and freeze for future use. To use, thaw completely in the refrigerator.

NEW YORK STYLE CHEESECAKE ON SHORTBREAD CRUST

Steps:

• PREP------.
• As with all baking, have all your ingredients at a cool room temperature (65°F).
• Get a couple quarts of water boiling on the stove.
• Arrange racks in your oven so there's one on the lowest and one in the middle. If you do not have a center position then go mid-lower.
• Have a clean 10x14x2-inch (give or take) roasting pan ready.
• Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).
• Grease 10 inch springform pan.
• CRUST-------.
• Gently combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 egg and 1/2 cup butter in a medium bowl.
• Spread to the edges of the pan.
• Prick all over with a fork, then bake 10-15 minutes at 400°F until lightly browned. Allow to cool on a rack.
• FILLING------.
• Increase oven temperature to 475°F.
• Turn oven light off (trust me on this one), place roasting pan on bottom rack and fill with boiling water.
• In a large bowl (I use my stand mixer), very gently beat cream cheese until smooth. I use the slowest setting for 5 minutes.
• Scrape down sides of bowl.
• Gradually add the salt, 1 3/4 cups sugar and 3 tablespoons flour -- continue to beat SLOWLY until well combined, scrape down sides of bowl.
• In a small bowl gently beat the vanilla, 5 eggs and the 2 yolks, gradually add eggs to the cream cheese mixture.
• Continue to stir until combined and smooth, stop mixer occasionally and scrape down sides.
• VERY IMPORTANT! Stop mixer, remove bowl and give it a good scraping (some of the cream cheese will stick to the sides and bottom of the bowl), replace bowl on mixer and stir until all lumps are gone.
• Add cream and mix only enough to blend.
• Gently pour filling over crust, run a thin knife around the filling in a S pattern to remove any trapped air bubbles. Let it sit on the counter for 5 minutes then do it again.
• Bake for 10 minutes at 475°F.
• Reduce temperature to 200°F and continue to bake for one hour.
• Turn oven off, but leave cake in for another hour.
• DON'T TOUCH THAT OVEN DOOR! You've created a nice, humid environment that will help prevent cracks and produce a perfect, professional, NY style cheese cake assuming you didn't mess with it by changing the atmospheric conditions.
• It may appear a little jiggly in the center and will have a golden appearance around the edges.
• Allow to cool on a rack for several hours, release the latch slightly on the side of the pan after 20 minutes, rotate sides to be sure the cake is free (but don't take it off yet), you can remove the sides after an hour (or so) if you want to admire your work, but replace it quickly or the cake may fall.
• After it's cool, wrap completely with plastic wrap, there should be a layer stuck to the top of the cake.
• Chill overnight in the refrigerator (Yes, this is required).
• The cake will stay at peak flavor for several days so long as you keep it wrapped and cold.
• What can go wrong?.
• If the cake cracks you either had your ingredients too cold, mixed the filling too vigorously, opened the oven door while the cake was cooking or didn't have a pan of water in the oven.
• If it does crack, don't despair -- just cover with a dark fruit or a layer of cookie crumbs.
• Toppings------.
• Nothing (my favorite).
• OR, boil a bag of frozen berries with a 1/4 cup of sugar until the liquid coats the back of a spoon, thicken with a table spoon of cornstarch mixed into a 1/4 cup of cold water -- Pour in slowly while maintaining the boil and stirring constantly.
• Adjust thickness by adding liquid or more cornstarch.
• Flavor with liqueur, fruit juice or extract.
• Blueberries or raspberries with Chambord is awesome, cherries work well with Frangelico or Amaretto. If you do use an alcoholic beverage, be sure to boil off alcohol. Cool fruit sauce in a mason jar and refrigerate. Keeps longer than the cheese cake!
• I've served it with caramel sauce and, buttered/sliced/baked apples .
• A light milk chocolate sauce, a sprinkle of chopped pecans and dollop of whipped cream will produce a nice turtle cake.

LEMONY WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Place a 9 inch springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil [about 18 inches square]. Securely wrap foil around pan; set aside.
• In a small bowl, combine the flour, confectioners' sugar and lemon peel; cut in butter until crumbly. Press onto the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of prepared pan. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 325 for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
• In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and vanilla until well blended. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in white chocolate and lemon peel. Pour into crust.
• Place pan in a large baking pan; add 1 inch of hot water to larger pan. Bake at 325 for 65-85 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull.
• Remove pan from water bath . Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan before slicing.

LEMONY WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE WITH SHORTBREAD COOKIE CRUST

Steps:

• Place a 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 inches square). Securely wrap foil around pan; set aside.
• Make crust:.
• Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium high speed for 3-4 minutes.
• Add flour and ground cookies to the mixture and blend for 3-4 seconds until fully incorporated.
• Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan.
• Bake the crust at 350° F for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Allow the crust to cool completely.
• In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, flour, lemon juice, cream and vanilla until well blended. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in white chocolate and peel. Pour into crust.
• Place pan in a large baking pan; add 1 inches of hot water to larger pan. Bake at 325° for 65-85 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull.
• Remove pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight.

NEW YORK CHEESECAKE WITH SHORTBREAD CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Wrap foil securely around pan. Place on a baking sheet., In a small bowl, mix flour, sugar and lemon zest; cut in butter until crumbly. Add egg yolks and vanilla, tossing with a fork until mixture pulls together., Press onto bottom and 1-1/2 in. up sides of prepared pan. Bake until lightly browned, 12-16 minutes. Cool on a wire rack., Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in cream, flour, vanilla, lemon juice and zest. Add eggs and egg yolks; beat on low speed just until blended. Pour into crust. Place springform pan in a larger baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan., Bake until center is just set and top appears dull, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours. Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool cheesecake on a wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove foil. Cool 1 hour longer. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled. Remove rim of pan. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Gradually add cranberry and lemon juices. Stir in 1 cup raspberries. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in butter., Strain sauce; discard seeds. Cool to room temperature. Stir in the blueberries, blackberries and remaining raspberries. Serve with cheesecake.

WHITE CHOCOLATE LEMON CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Crust:.
• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Spray bottom and sides of a spring form pan with non-stick spray.
• In a medium size bowl, combine crumbs with butter or margarine and press onto bottom of pan.
• Bake for 10 minutes.
• Remove from oven (don't turn oven off!) and cool.
• Filling:.
• While crust is baking, place a small saucepan filled about half way with water and allow to simmer. Place white chocolate and heavy cream in a metal bowl and place bowl over saucepan. Stir white chocolate with heavy cream until most or all of white chocolate is melted. Once all melted, remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
• Using a food processor or electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth. Add sugar slowly.
• Mix in the white chocolate mixture until well combined. Add eggs, one at a time. Add lemon juice, lemon extract, vanilla extract, and lemon peel. Mix until well combined. Do not over mix please!
• Pour the filling into the crust. Bake for 45-50 minutes.
• Remove from oven and cool on wire rack until cheesecake has cooled down to room temperature. Remove the sides of the springform pan and chill in refrigerator until cool.
• Enjoy!

LEMON CHEESECAKE WITH LEMON-ROSEMARY SHORTBREAD CRUST

Steps:

• For the crust: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place an oven rack in the center position, without any racks above it.
• Place the cookies in a food processor; pulse to the texture of sand. Add the crushed cookies to a 10-inch springform pan and pour in the melted butter. Using your hands, mix together the cookie crumbs and butter until they are completely combined and hold together when pinched. Firmly press the cookie crust into the bottom of the pan. Press down on the crust with the bottom of a cup to ensure it is tightly packed.
• Bake the crust for 12 to 14 minutes, or until golden brown all over. Remove from oven and let cool. When the pan is cool enough to handle, wrap it in foil three-quarters of the way up the sides of the pan--this will prevent any water from getting into the cheesecake while it is baked in a water bath.
• For the cheesecake: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the cream cheese, granulated sugar, sour cream, eggs, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla extract and salt. Slowly turn the mixer up to medium-high speed; continue to mix for 2 minutes, until the ingredients are completely combined and smooth.
• Set aside 1/4 cup of the lemon curd and reserve it for the topping. With a rubber spatula, fold the remaining lemon curd into the cheesecake mixture. Pour the mixture over the cooled crust and spread it evenly, making sure to flatten the top. Gently tap the pan a few times on a flat surface to even out the mixture.
• Use the reserved lemon curd to make a fun design in the top of the cheesecake. For instance, you can dollop 15 small dots, about a heaping 1/2 teaspoon each, around the border of the cake and then 6 small dots towards the center of the cake and 1 dot directly in the center. Drag a skewer around the center of the first ring of dots to pull the lemon curd into a teardrop shape. Repeat with the interior circle of lemon curd drops.
• Place the foil-lined springform pan in a large roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with hot water until it reaches about 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Bake the cheesecake for 55 to 60 minutes, until the edges are set but the center still has a pudding-like jiggle. Remove from the oven and let sit 10 minutes before removing the pan from the water bath. Let the cheesecake sit another 30 minutes. While the cheesecake is still warm, run a paring knife around the inside edge of the pan and then release the sides of the pan. (If you do this after the cheesecake has cooled completely, the cake may tear slightly.) Let the cheesecake cool completely before slicing and serving. Refrigerate any cheesecake not being served immediately.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 13-by-9-inch baking pan with foil, leaving a 2-inch overhang on two sides. Lightly grease the foil and sides of the pan with butter.
• In a food processor, pulse the sugar with the lemon zest and rosemary until well combined. Remove 2 tablespoons of the sugar mixture and reserve.
• Add the butter, vanilla and salt to the food processor with the sugar and pulse until combined. Add the flour, about 1 cup at a time, pulsing to combine after each addition. After the last addition, you may have to stir and scrape down the sides of the food processor to help incorporate all of the flour. Continue to pulse until the dough comes together.
• Turn the dough out into the prepared baking pan and press it in evenly. Poke the dough all over with a fork and sprinkle it with the reserved sugar.
• Use a knife to cut the dough into approximately 3-by-1-inch rectangles (or whichever shape you prefer). Bake until golden brown at the edges and golden in the center, about 25 minutes. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, use a bench scraper or knife to re-cut the lines of the cookies. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then carefully remove the cookies with the foil and cool completely on a rack.

LEMON CHEESECAKE WITH SHORTBREAD COOKIE CRUST

Steps:

• Make crust:
• Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar together on medium high speed for 3-4 minutes. Add flour and ground Trefoils to the mixture and blend for 3-4 seconds until fully incorporated. Press the mixture evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake the crust at 350° F for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. Allow the crust to cool completely.
• Make cheesecake:
• Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until light and smooth. Add the mascarpone cheese and sugar and continue to beat on medium speed. Add the eggs one at a time. Blend in the lemon zest and juice. Pour mixture into the cooled crust.
• Set the cheesecake pan into a roasting pan, and add enough water to the roasting pan to reach halfway up sides of the cheesecake pan. Place in a 350° F oven for approximately one hour or until the cake is set and the top is golden brown. Remove the cake from the roasting pan and place on a wire rack. Allow cake to cool slightly, then place the cake in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight.

LEMON-WHITE CHOCOLATE MINI CHEESECAKES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F.
• Melt 2 oz. chocolate as directed on package; set aside for later use.
• Use pulsing action of food processor to process 16 cookies until finely crushed; spoon into medium bowl. Add butter and 2 Tbsp. sugar; mix well. Press onto bottoms of 12 paper-lined muffin cups, adding about 1 Tbsp. crumb mixture to each prepared cup.
• Beat cream cheese, vanilla and remaining sugar in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add lemon zest, lemon juice and melted chocolate; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Spoon over crusts.
• Bake 17 to 20 min. or until centers are almost set. Cool completely.
• Melt remaining chocolate. Coarsely chop remaining cookies; sprinkle over cheesecakes. Drizzle with melted chocolate.
• Refrigerate 2 hours.