Ultimate Lemon Cheesecake

• Vegetarian

• Produce

  • 1 tsp Lemon, zest
  • 1 Lemon, zest of large
  • 1/2 Lemon, Zest of
  • 1 Lemon, Zest and Juice of large
  • 1 cup Sugar to toss the lemon peel in

• Refrigerated

  • 1 Egg yolk, large
  • 4 Egg yolks
  • 3 Eggs

• Condiments

  • 1/3 cup Lemon juice, fresh

• Baking & Spices

  • 1 cup Flour
  • 1/2 cup Icing sugar
  • 2 tsp Lemon extract
  • 1 small pinch Salt
  • 2 2/3 cup Sugar
  • 1 tsp Vanilla extract

• Dairy

  • 3/4 cup Butter
  • 1 3 eight ounce packages ounces Cream cheese
  • 1 cup Whipping cream

• Liquids

  • 2/3 cup Water

Found on rockrecipes.com

Description

Ingredients

• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup icing sugar (powdered sugar)
• small pinch salt
• ½ cup cold butter, cut in cubes
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp lemon zest , finely minced
• 3 eight ounce packages ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp lemon extract
• 1 cup whipping cream, whipped to soft peaks
• zest of one large lemon, finely minced
• 4 lightly beaten egg yolks
• ⅔ cup sugar
• ⅓ cup fresh lemon juice
• zest of half a lemon, finely minced
• ⅓ cup butter cut into small pieces
• 1 cup sugar
• ⅔ cup water
• zest and juice of one large lemon
• additional sugar to toss the lemon peel in (about a cup)

Directions

• Sift together the flour, icing sugar and salt. Mix in the lemon zest. Set aside.
• Rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingers until it is well incorporated and the mixture becomes crumbly, like a coarse meal
• Whisk together the egg yolk and lemon extract Add to the crumbly dry mixture and mix in until a soft dough forms.Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least a half hour.
• Press evenly into the bottom of a parchment paper lined 9 or 10 inch spring form pan. Dipping your fingers into flour helps if the dough is too sticky. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes. Let cool for 15-20 minutes before adding the cheesecake batter.
• Cream together the cream cheese and sugar.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in the vanilla and lemon extracts.
• Whip the whipping cream to soft peaks and fold it in gently by hand along with the lemon zest, using a rubber spatula.
• Pour over the prepared and cooled base and bake in a bain marie at 300 degrees F for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. The cheesecake does not have to brown at all in order to be fully baked; the surface of the cheesecake should lose any shine when the cake is properly baked. It can still be slightly wobbly just at the center at this point.
• Remove the cake from the oven and run a sharp knife completely around the edge of the pan. This will allow for the cheesecake to shrink as it cools and hopefully not crack (but who cares if it does? I am never bothered by a crack or two in the surface) Allow the cheesecake to cool thoroughly on a wire rack at room temperature for an hour or so before cooling it completely for a few hours or overnight in the fridge.
• In a small saucepan combine the egg yolks, sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest.
• Cook slowly over medium low heat for about 10 minutes stirring constantly until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.
• Remove from heat and stir in the butter a few pieces at a time until completely smooth.
• Cover with plastic wrap and chill completely in the fridge. Spread evenly on top of the chilled cheesecake and garnish with candied lemon zest.
• Remove the zest of the lemon in large pieces using a sharp vegetable peeler. You want to avoid using too much of the pithy white layer.
• Add to the saucepan along with the 1 cup of sugar, water and lemon juice. Simmer very slowly for 15 minutes, then remove the candied zest from the syrup and let it drain on a wire rack.When drained cut it into thin strips and toss it in the additional sugar. Let sit for a half hour or longer before using as a garnish.
• Note: This candied zest can be stored in the sugar for several weeks in a mason jar.
• Dont throw out the sugar! Use it to make lemon shortbread cookies or when making lemon pound cake. The syrup can also be stored for a couple of weeks. Use it to brush on a lemon pound cake or even as a delicious substitute for maple syrup on blueberry pancakes.