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Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake
Desserts to Die For
by Marcel Desaulniers, 1995, Simon & Schuster
 
The Chef’s Touch
"A cheesecake dessert is an indulgence that even the most
health-conscious
people seem to justify. My theory is that cheesecake lovers are a bit
like
chocolate lovers – they are easily seduced. And this Lemon Blueberry
Cheesecake
is worth falling for. The balance of sweetness and acidity
combined with the textural
contrast between
the velvety batter and the
sprightly berry produces extraordinary
sensations in your mouth.
One whole medium-size lemon should yield 2 to 21/2 teaspoons of minced
lemon
zest. Use a sharp vegetable peeler to zest the citrus fruit. Be careful
to remove only
the colored skin and not the bitter pith that lies directly
beneath the skin. After
removing the colored skin with a vegetable peeler,
cut it into thin strips with a
very
sharp cook’s knife. Mince the thin strips
with the cook’s knife.
Preparation of the cheesecake may be spread out over two days or more.
The
cookies may be baked and kept in the freezer for several days before using.
For
an even quicker start out of the gate, set up the springform pan with the
cookie
crumbs,
cover the pan with plastic wrap, and keep it in the freezer
for one or
two days before
using.
After assembly, the cheesecake may be kept in the refrigerator for two
to three
days.
If you love blueberries as much as I do, you may want to sprinkle
additional berries onto each dessert plate before serving. Otherwise I
suggest no other
accompaniments.
Once you have tasted this dessert you will understand why it needs no
embel-
lishment, although with a little coaxing, I could enjoy a rich and lively
Château
Rieussec Sauternes.
Citrus Shortbread Cookie Crust:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
12 Citrus Shortbread Cookies (recipe follows)
Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake:
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons minced lemon zest
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 large eggs
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup fresh blueberries,
stemmed and washed
Sour Cream and Blueberry Topping:
1/4 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 cups fresh blueberries,
stemmed and washed
Prepare the Citrus Shortbread Cookie Crust:
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Place a 9-by-1 1/2-inch cake pan partially
filled with 4 cups of hot water on the bottom rack of the oven (the bottom
rack should be
at least 3 inches below the center rack). Coat the inside of a
9-by-3-inch springform pan
with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Set aside. In
a food processor fitted with a metal blade,
chop the cookies in two batches.
Pulse each batch until all the cookies are in crumbs (the
total should yield
2 cups crumbs). Transfer the crumbs to a 2-quart bowl. Combine the
cookie crumbs with 2 tablespoons melted butter. Mix by hand until the crumbs bind
together. Press the crumbs around the buttered sides of the springform pan, then onto the
buttered bottom of the pan. Place the pan
in the freezer until needed.
Make the Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake:
Place cream cheese, sugar and lemon zest in the bowl of an electric
mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on low until smooth, about 3 minutes. Scrape
down the
sides of the bowl. Add flour, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt. Beat
on medium for 2 minutes.
Scrape down sides of bowl. Add 2 eggs and beat on low speed for 2 minutes. Scrape down the
sides of the bowl. Add the remaining 4 eggs and beat on medium for 2 minutes. Once again,
scrape down the sides of the bowl (all this mixing and scraping creates a beautifully
smooth cheesecake), Add lemon juice and mix on low for 1 minute. Remove the bowl from the
mixer. Use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the batter
until it is smooth and thoroughly
combined. Pour the cheesecake batter into the prepared springform pan, spreading evenly.
Place the springform pan onto a baking sheet with sides
(the pan will remain on the baking
sheet throughout the baking and cooling). Sprinkle 1 cup blueberries over the top
of the
batter. The weight of the blueberries should cause them to sink to various depths in the
batter (if the berries do not sink, distribute them with
a little more force - somewhere
between a sprinkle and a pitch). Place the baking sheet with the springform
pan on the
center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 1 hour. Lower the oven temperature to
225 degrees F.
and bake for 1 hour. Reduce the oven temperature to 200
degrees F. and bake the
cheesecake until the internal temperature of the cheesecake filling reaches 175
degrees F., about
1 1/2 hours. (The timing depends on how frequently you peek at the cheesecake.
If you open
the oven door more
often than necessary, it may take an
additional 30 minutes or more for
the filling to reach the desired temperature.) Remove the cheesecake from the oven and cool
on the baking sheet at room temperature for 1 hour. Refrigerate the cheesecake for 12
hours (do not remove the cake from
the pan) before proceeding.
Prepare the Sour Cream and Blueberry Topping:
Combine sour cream and sugar in a small bowl and whisk until smooth.
Release
the cheesecake from the sides of the springform pan. (If the cake
does not
immediately separate, wrap a damp, hot cotton towel around the sides of the
pan. Make sure the towel covers the sides completely. Hold
the towel around
the pan for about 1 minute, then carefully release and remove the springform
pan.) If top crust of the cheesecake is not level,
trim with a serrated
knife. Use a cake spatula to spread the sour cream mixture over the top of
the cake, spreading evenly to the edges. Neatly arrange the blueberries on
top of the sour cream. Refrigerate for 30
minutes before cutting and
serving.
To serve:
Heat the blade of a serrated slicer under hot running water and
wipe the
blade dry before cutting each slice. Serve immediately. 10 to 12 servings.
Citrus Shortbread Cookies
The Chef’s Touch
‘This cookie was born from the search for an appropriate
biscuit to use as a crust for our Lemon and Blueberry Cheesecake. Not only does this
recipe yield exactly the amount of cookie crumbs needed to prepare the cheesecake crust,
it is also perfect
for the crust for My Cherry Clafouti. If you fall in love with these
little beauties
as
I have and enjoy eating them au naturel, I suggest doubling the recipe.
Use a sharp vegetable peeler to zest the citrus fruit. Be careful to
remove only
the colored skin and not the bitter pith that lies directly beneath the skin.
After removing the colored skin with a vegetable peeler, cut it into thin strips with a
very sharp
cook’s knife. Mince the thin strips with the cook’s knife.
For most people a cool glass of lemonade would be the perfect
accompaniment
for
the Citrus Shortbread Cookies. My preference after dinner, however,
would
be a
more gratifying dry Sherry or a Madeira."
Ingredients:
1/4 pound unsalted butter
5 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon minced lemon zest
1 teaspoon minced orange zest
1 teaspoon orange-flavored liqueur
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
Make the cookies:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted
with a paddle. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the
bowl. Beat on
high for 3 minutes, until the butter is light (but not fluffy).
Add the minced lemon and
orange zest and the orange-flavored liqueur.
Beat on high for 30 seconds. Operate the
mixer on low while gradually
adding the flour and salt, and mix for 1 minute. Remove the
bowl from
the mixer and use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the dough, until
thoroughly
combined.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap. Roll the dough on a flat surface to
form
a
6-inch-long and 1 1/2-inch-in-diameter cylinder. Place the dough in the refrigerator
for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and discard the plastic
wrap.
Cut
the dough into 12 individual 1/2-inch-thick slices. Divide the slices
onto two
baking sheets. Place the baking sheets onto the center rack
in the preheated oven and bake
for 16 to 18 minutes, until lightly
browned around the edges. Halfway through the baking
time, rotate
each baking sheet 180 degrees. Remove the cookies from the oven
and cool to
room temperature on the
baking sheets, about 20 minutes.
The cooled cookies may be stored
in a tightly sealed plastic container
for several days at room temperature, or
for several
weeks in the
freezer.
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