Preserved Lemon Cheesecake Recipes

Steps:

• Place a 9-in. springform pan coated with cooking spray on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan., In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs and butter. Press onto the bottom of prepared pan. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 325° until set, 6-9 minutes. Cool on a wire rack., In a large bowl, beat cream cheeses and sugar until smooth. Beat in lemon juice and zest. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until combined. Pour over crust. Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan., Bake at 325° until center is almost set, 40-45 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes. Combine the sour cream, 4 teaspoons sugar and vanilla; spread over top of cheesecake. Bake 10 minutes longer., Remove springform pan from water bath. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer., In a small heavy saucepan, combine the cornstarch, salt and remaining sugar. Stir in water until smooth. Cook and stir over medium-high heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat., Stir a small amount of hot mixture into egg yolk; return all to the pan, stirring constantly. Bring to a gentle boil; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat. Gently stir in the lemon juice, butter and lemon zest. Cool to room temperature without stirring., Spread over cheesecake. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan.

Steps:

• Toss the lemon slices in kosher salt to coat, and place them into a sterile 2 quart glass jar. Pour in the lemon juice, cover tightly, and let stand on the counter for 1 week. Turn the jar over daily. At the end of the week, top the jar off with enough olive oil to cover the lemons. This will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 months.
• To use, pull the lemon pulp from the peel, and scrape out the pith to leave only the yellow rind. Julienne, and add to your favorite dish for a lemony zing.

Steps:

• Confit: Cut a slice off the top and bottom of each lemon to expose the flesh. Cutting from top to bottom and following the contours of the fruit, cut off the peel and white pith in 1-inch-wide strips. Scrape off any pulp adhering to the strips, but leave the pith intact. You should have several 1-inch wide strips of lemon peel and pith. Cut each one into long strips, about 1/4-inch by 3 inches each.
• Meanwhile, boil a kettleful of water. Pour about 2 cups of the boiling water into a small saucepan, bring back to a boil, add all the lemon rind, and boil 30 seconds. Drain in a strainer and rinse under cold running water. Repeat 2 times more, using fresh boiling water each time. Combine the sugar and 2 cups of water in the saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the blanched rind and reduce the heat to a simmer. Simmer until tender, about 1 hour.
• Drain in a strainer (reserve the sweet, lemony syrup for sweetening drinks, if you like). Arrange the strips on a wire rack, using your fingers to gently spread them out so that they do not touch each other. Let cool and store in an airtight container.
• Crust: Cream the butter until soft and smooth in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Add the sugar and continue creaming until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and the vanilla. In a separate bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer and mix at low speed until almost blended. Turn the dough out onto a work surface and knead briefly, just until the dough comes together. Form into a disk and chill at least 2 hours or overnight.
• Flour a work surface. Roll out the dough 1/8-inch thick and prick all over with a fork. Use a cutter to cut out rounds of pastry that are slightly larger in diameter than your mini-muffin cups. Transfer the pastry rounds to a sheet pan and chill 30 minutes. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F and bake until light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool.
• Butter 2 mini-muffin tins and then lay a large piece of plastic wrap over the tin. Push the plastic wrap down into each cup (this is to line it very well). Do not worry, the plastic wrap will not burn or melt in the oven. Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Filling: Whip the cream cheese until light and fluffy in a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Add the sugar and mix. Mix in the eggs and vanilla, then the flour and salt. Divide the filling among the lined cups, filling each one all the way up. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, then chill.
• When ready to serve, cut the plastic wrap so you can remove each cup of cheesecake individually. Lift each one out of the cup and invert onto a cornmeal crust. Peel off the plastic wrap. When all the cakes have been assembled, top each one with a tiny mound of chopped lemon confit and serve.

Steps:

• Make crust: Preheat oven to 350°. Place oats, coconut and brown sugar in food processor bowl and grind to a fine consistency. Add egg white and water; pulse 3 or 4 times until just combined and moist. Press lightly into 10-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Make sure not to process too much or to press too firmly in pan or crust will shrink away from edges too much. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Wrap outside of pan with heavy duty foil to prevent leaking, set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 325°.
• Prepare the cheesecake: Discard flesh from preserved lemon and rinse peel well. Chop coarsely and add to food processor with lemon juice; process about one minute. Add cream cheese, sour cream, sugar and flour and process until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes. With motor running, add eggs and yolk, one at a time, and process until blended. Pour into prepared pan. Place springform pan in a large roasting pan and add enough boiling water to larger pan so that it comes about halfway up sides of covered springform pan.
• Bake for 1 hour at 325° until center is just set on top. The center should barely move when touched lightly. Remove from oven and allow to cool in water bath for about 15 minutes. Remove pan from water bath and let cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and refrigerate 12 hours to overnight before serving. Run a knife around edge of pan to loosen before serving.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place a greased 10-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Wrap foil securely around pan., In a small bowl, mix cracker crumbs, sugar and cinnamon; stir in butter. Press onto bottom of prepared pan; refrigerate while preparing filling., In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and salt until smooth. Beat in lemon juice and vanilla. Add eggs; beat on low speed just until blended. Pour over crust. Place springform pan in a larger baking pan; add 1 in. of hot water to larger pan., Bake 70-80 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull. 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. Refrigerate overnight, covering when completely cooled., Remove rim from pan. If desired, top cheesecake with lemon slices.