Lemon Cheesecake (Serves 8-12)
1¾ cups graham cracker
¼ cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp lemon zest
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
2 lbs cream cheese (32 oz), room temperature
1 cup fine white sugar
1 cup heavy cream (8 oz)
3 tblsp lemon juice, fresh
2 tsp grated lemon zest
1 tblsp water
1 tsp unflavored gelatin
In a large bowl, mix the graham crackers, brown sugar, the tsp of lemon zest and the ½ melted butter together.
Line a springform pan with parchment paper. Bake the crust for 10 minutes and remove from the oven.
Using a mixer on low speed, mix the cream cheese and sugar until well blended.
Beat in ½ of the cream, lemon juice and zest.
In a sauce pan add the water and gelatin, let sit 5 minutes.
Put on low heat until gelatin dissolves, whisk in the rest of the cream.|
Add this mixture to the cream cheese mixture and blend together. Beat the mixture till fluffy on low speed.
Pour the cheesecake filling over the baked crust. Gently tap the pan on a hard surface to release any air bubbles. Bake for 55-65 minutes, the edges will be set, while the center will still have some jiggle to it. Turn off the oven and crack the oven door open but leave the cheesecake in the turned off oven for an hour.
Now remove the cheesecake from the oven and release the springform, you may need a butter knife to run around the edges to release the cheesecake fully from the springform pan. Let the cheesecake cool completely. At this point you can spread on some lemon curd or decorate the top with some candied lemon pieces. I like mine as is. Refrigerate covered until ready to serve.