Meyer Lemon Cheesecake Food

MEYER LEMON CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• *If you can't get Meyer lemons, mix equal parts fresh orange and fresh lemon juice to approximate their sweet fragrance and flavor.
• Preheat oven to 325°; grease a 9-inch springform pan with 3-inch sides.
• Crust: in a bowl, combine the cookie crumbs and butter; press into bottom of cheesecake pan and freeze.
• Filling: in a large mixer bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar on med-high speed for 3 minutes.
• Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.
• Mix in zest, juice, and vanilla; pour over frozen crust.
• Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the top is light brown and the center has a slight jiggle to it.
• Cool on the counter for 10 minutes (do not turn the oven off); the cake will sink slightly.
• Topping: in a small bowl, combine sour cream, sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla; pour mixture into the center of cooled cake and spread out to edges.
• Bake for 5 minutes more.
• Cool on rack for 2 hours; cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving.

CHEESECAKE WITH MEYER LEMON-GINGER CURD

Steps:

• Make the crust: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Pulse the graham crackers and butter cookies in a food processor until finely ground; drizzle in the melted butter and pulse to combine. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and about 1 inch up the side of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack and let cool completely. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.
• Make the filling: Beat the cream cheese and sugar in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and slightly fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then beat in the lemon juice and vanilla. Pour the batter into the prepared crust. Transfer to the oven and bake until the edges are set but the center still jiggles slightly, 1 hour to 1 hour, 10 minutes. Turn off the oven and keep the cheesecake in the oven with the door ajar, 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and run a knife around the edge of the cake to loosen. Transfer to a rack; let cool completely, then refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or overnight.
• Make the lemon curd: Finely grate the ginger; put in a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl and press with a rubber spatula to extract the juice.
• Whisk the eggs, sugar and cream in a small nonreactive saucepan until combined. Add the lemon juice and ginger juice and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thick and bubbly, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until melted. Strain the curd through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, pressing it through with a rubber spatula; let cool. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• Spread the curd over the cheesecake and refrigerate until set, about 30 minutes. Remove the springform ring and slice. Serve with strawberries.

MEYER LEMON MERINGUE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 ºF (180 ºC). Lightly grease a 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan.
• For the crust, stir the graham crumbs, sugar and melted butter together in a bowl until combined and press this into the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes (no change in colour to note) and cool completely on a rack before filling.
• For the cheesecake, lower the oven temperature to 300 ºF (150 ºC). Beat the cream cheese until light and fluffy. Beat in the condensed milk, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl well. Beat in the zest and vanilla, then on a lower speed; beat in each egg and the yolk one at a time. Still on low speed, beat in the lemon juice. Pour this over the cooled crust and bake for about 45 minutes, until the outside of the cheesecake is set, but the centre still has a little jiggle to it. Prepare the lemon curd as the cheesecake cools.
• For the curd, whisk the whole eggs, egg yolks, sugar, lemon zest and juice in a metal bowl. Whisk in the butter and sour cream and place the bowl over a pot of gently simmering water, whisking often, until the lemon curd has thickened (but it will still be fluid), about 10 minutes. Strain the curd and spread this gently over the cheesecake. Once fully cooled to room temperature, chill the cheesecake for at least 6 hours (do not cover with plastic wrap).
• For the topping, whisk the egg whites and sugar in a metal bowl placed over a pot of gently simmering water until frothy and very warm to touch (165 F if using a thermometer). Use electric beaters or transfer to the bowl of a stand mixer and whip until the meringue has cooled and holds a stiff peak when the beaters are lifted. Use a butane kitchen torch to brown the meringue or pop it into a 400 ºF (200 ºC) oven for 3-4 minutes to brown and then cool before refrigerating.