Cheesecake With Meyer Lemon Ginger Curd Recipes

LEMON CHEESECAKE WITH GINGERSNAP CRUST

Steps:

• For crust:
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Stir cookie crumbs and butter in medium bowl until evenly moistened. Press mixture onto bottom of 9-inch-diameter removable-bottom cheesecake pan with 3-inch-high sides. Bake crust until deep golden, about 12 minutes. Cool completely. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
• Stack 3 large sheets of foil on work surface. Place same cake pan in center. Gather foil snugly around pan bottom and up sides to waterproof.
• For filling:
• Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese in large bowl until smooth and fluffy. Gradually beat in sugar, then salt. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time. Beat in sour cream, grated lemon peel, and lemon juice. Pour filling into pan.
• Place wrapped cake pan in large roasting pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan. Bake cake until filling is slightly puffed and moves only slightly when pan is shaken gently, about 1 hour 25 minutes. Remove cake pan from water bath; remove foil. Cool cake in pan on rack 2 hours. Chill uncovered until cold; cover and keep chilled at least 1 day and up to 2 days.
• Cut around pan sides; carefully loosen pan bottom from sides and push up pan bottom to release cake. Place cake (still on pan bottom) on platter. Garnish with lemon leaves or twists.
• Test-kitchen tips
• The pan: It must be three inches high to hold all the filling. If your nine-inch springform pan is that high, it can be used instead. The cream cheese: For best results, use Philadelphia brand. The crust: Grind the gingersnaps in the processor or place them in a heavy-duty plastic bag and finely crush them with a rolling pin.

MEYER LEMON CURD

Steps:

• Beat sugar and butter together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on low speed until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs and yolks one at a time until incorporated. Mix in lemon juice. Transfer mixture to a saucepan.
• Cook the mixture over low heat, stirring gently until smooth. Increase the heat to medium and simmer gently, stirring constantly, until curd is thick enough to coat a spoon and reaches 170 degrees F (77 degrees C) on a candy thermometer, 15 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest.
• Transfer curd to a bowl and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface to prevent a skin forming as it cools. Allow to cool briefly, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill until thick.

LEMON CURD CHEESECAKE

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 securely around pan., In a small bowl, mix crushed wafers and melted butter. Press onto the bottom and 3/4 in. up sides of prepared pan. Bake 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack., In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sour cream and sugar until smooth. Beat in lemon zest and juice. Add eggs; 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 to 1-1/4 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., Meanwhile, in a small heavy saucepan, whisk together first 5 curd ingredients. Add butter; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until mixture is just thick enough to coat a metal spoon and a thermometer reads at least 170°. Do not allow to boil. Remove immediately to a small bowl; cool completely., Gently spread curd over cheesecake. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled. Remove rim from pan. If desired, top with fresh lemon zest strips.

GINGER LEMON BASQUE CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Grease one side of 2 to 3 sheets of parchment paper. Lay them butter-side up inside a 10-inch springform pan, arranging so that they cover all sides, and crimping the edges to ensure they stay in place. Place the springform pan on a sheet tray.
• In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the cream cheese, granulated sugar and salt. Cream on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides.
• Turn the mixer down to medium and add the condensed milk. Beat to combine, then scrape down the bowl. Add the heavy cream, fresh ginger, ground ginger, vanilla and minced lemon zest. Fully combine, then scrape down the sides.
• Turn the mixer to medium-high and add the eggs one at a time, being sure that each is fully combined before adding the next.
• Add the flour, then beat again, scraping down the sides.
• Pour the cheesecake into the center of the springform pan and tap it lightly on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
• Bake for 30 minutes, then rotate. Continue to bake until dark golden brown, another 30 to 35 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until completely set, 6 hours.
• Remove the cheesecake from the pan, then peel down the paper. (You can leave the paper in place for a rustic look.)
• Mix together the lemon curd, limoncello, sour cream, lemon juice and remaining lemon zest in a bowl.
• Pour evenly over the top of the cheesecake, then sprinkle with the powdered sugar and garnish with the basil. Cut into slices and serve.

LEMON CHEESECAKE WITH GINGERSNAP CRUST

Steps:

• LEMON CURD (makes about 1 cup).
• In small cup, sprinkle gelatin over water. Allow to soften 10 minutes.
• In processor, mince lemon peel with sugar until lemon peel is as fine as sugar. Transfer to heavy small saucepan.
• Add in lemon juice and yolks, then butter; mix.
• Stir over medium heat until very thick, about 5 minutes; do not boil.
• Transfer to bowl. Add gelatin and stir to dissolve.
• Cool completely, stirring frequently, about 1 hour.
• CRUST.
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350 degrees farenheit.
• Lightly oil 9-inch-diameter springform pan.
• Add vanilla wafers and gingersnaps with sugar and lemon peel to food processor and finely grind. Add butter and blend well.
• Make bottom crust by sprinkling crumbs over the bottom of pan and pressing down.
• Bake until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Cool.
• FILLING.
• In small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over cold water; allow to stand 10 minutes to soften.
• In processor, mince lemon peel and ginger with sugar and salt until lemon peel and ginger are the consistency of sugar.
• Add yolks and blend until light and fluffy.
• In heavy medium saucepan, scald milk.
• With processor running, add milk through feed tube and blend well.
• Return mixture to saucepan. Stir over medium-low heat until mixture thickens, about 12 minutes; mixture should leave path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across; do not boil.
• Add gelatin mixture to custard and stir until dissolved.
• Strain into bowl, pressing on solids with back of spoon.
• Refrigerate until thickened but not set, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes.
• Add cream cheese and lemon juice to processor and blend until smooth. Add custard and blend until smooth. Transfer to large bowl.
• In medium bowl, whip cream until it forms soft peaks. Gently fold into filling.
• Pour half of filling over crust. Using a tablespoonfuls, spoon half of curd over filling. Swirl mixtures together using tip of knife.Pour remaining filling over.
• Using tablespoonfuls, spoon remaining curd over. Swirl mixtures together using tip of knife.
• Refrigerate cheesecake at least 4 hours or overnight.
• After running a knife around sides of cake, release pan sides.
• Garnish with mint.