Lemon Cheesecake with Berries

posted: Friday, August 15th, 2014

Graham Cracker Crust

  •  1/2 cup finely ground graham cracker crumbs
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons butter, melted
  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  2. Crush graham crackers and blend in food processor with sugar and sea salt until fine and sandy.
  3. Brown butter and strain to remove milk solids. Mix browned butter into dry ingredients using hands.
  4. Pour the crumbs into an 8 or 9 inch springform pan and,press the crumbs down into the base and 1-inch up the sides.  Bake for 5 – 10 minutes, until lightly brown.

Cheesecake Batter

  • 2 lbs. cream cheese, softened [4 – 8 oz. containers]
  • 2 1/2 cups sugar
  • 7 oz. sour cream
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

*makes 1 cheesecake in a springform pan or 2 cheesecakes in pie pans

  1. Mix the cream cheese and sugar together with paddle attachment. Be careful not to whip too much air into the batter or the cheesecakes will puff up and not bake properly. There should be no lumps; pause to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl often.
  2. Add the sour cream and mix well, pausing to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
  3. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on low speed until incorporated, being careful not to beat too hard. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
  4. Set the cheesecake pan on a large piece of aluminum foil and fold up the sides around it. Place the cake pan in a large roasting pan. Pour boiling water into the roasting pan until the water is about halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan; the foil will keep the water from seeping into the cheesecake. Bake for 45 minutes.
  5. The cheesecake should still jiggle when you take it out. Let cool in pan for 30 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for at least 4 hours.

 Lemon Curd and Berry Topping

  • 6 oz. sugar [3/4 cup sugar]
  • 4 oz. butter
  • 6.5 oz. fresh lemon juice [make sure to zest one lemon, below]
  • 3 oz. eggs [~2 medium eggs]
  • 3.5 oz. egg yolks [~4 egg yolks]
  • 1 pint fresh blueberries or other fresh fruit
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • drizzle of honey
  1. Heat sugar, butter, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl over a water bath [double mixer].
  2. Beat the whole eggs and egg yolks together until well mixed.
  3. Temper the eggs 1/3 at a time with hot lemon-sugar-butter mixture, then add back to the mixing bowl over the water bath. Cook curd until it thickens and coats the back of a spatula, whisking often.
  4. Strain mixture into a bowl pushing it through a fine mesh sieve and cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin forming while it cools.
  5. When chill, spread a generous layer of lemon curd over the top of the cheesecake.
  6. Mix fresh blueberries, lemon zest, and honey and put those berries on top.

 

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