Photo: Cheesecake With Meyer Lemon-Ginger Curd Recipe
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 8 whole graham crackers, broken into pieces
- 1 1/2 cups lightly crushed butter cookies
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the filling:
- 3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons fresh Meyer lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the curd:
- 1 4-inch piece ginger, peeled
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1/2 cup fresh Meyer lemon juice (from about 4 lemons)
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- Sliced strawberries, for serving
Directions
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.
TIP: Meyer lemons are slightly sweeter than regular lemons. If you can't find them, use equal parts regular lemon juice and orange juice.
Photograph by Johnny Miller
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By andfordessert
Winnipeg, Manitoba
on April 16, 2013
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This is one of the nicest cheesecakes I have ever eaten. It has gotten rave reviews each time I have prepared it. I did use a 10 inch springform, instead of a 9 inch pan. I did not have Meyer lemons, so followed the suggestion and used half orange juice and half lemon. The texture is beautiful, and the lemon ginger curd was to die for. It made more than I needed for the cake, so I stirred it into plain Greek yogurt for breakfast. Yum!!
By nikkijcorn_7091183
Dallas, GA
on April 07, 2013
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This is an absolutely perfect recipe. The basic cheesecake (pre-topping is the best cheesecake I've ever made. Simple ingredients and beautiful texture throughout. The Meyer-lemon ginger curd was so good, I just wanted to pour it on my head, but I demonstrated a great amount of restraint and poured it on top of the cheesecake, instead. I thought the curd would be a little bit fussy to make, but it was no trouble at all. It was even so smooth and creamy in the sauce pan that I skipped straining it through a mesh colander. Everyone loved this dessert. I will make it again, AND I will use the basic cheesecake recipe when I want to use other fruit toppings, as well. I followed the directions as written except 1 used a 10-inch pan, and 2 used all graham crackers in the crust (didn't have butter cookies in the house. So good, Food Network! And just as beautiful as the picture in the magazine.
By bakingwithbarb
Carmel, California
on March 30, 2013
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This cheesecake is delicate and delicious! The pale yellow of the curd and the light color of the butter cookies in the crust make the cake itself feminine and pretty--perfect to serve at a bridal or baby shower or for dessert after a spring luncheon. The flavor of the crust and cheesecake itself is subtle, and the texture is lighter than the typical cheesecake. The lemon-ginger curd adds a nice zing. At first, the ginger was too overpowering, and my initial reaction was to scrape some of the curd off, and I made a note to myself to cut the ginger in half in the future. However, once the shock of the first bite wore off, the ginger seemed more subdued, and the wonderful meyer lemon flavor really emerged. The following night, we were meeting my sister and some friends for dinner, so I brought the remains of the cake for dessert. Everyone there raved about it! The ginger had really mellowed by the second night, and the texture of the cheesecake remained light and fluffy.
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