PLANNING AHEAD

• 9” springform pan, baking sheet for the crust, large roasting pan for the bain-marie
• Remove butter & cream cheese from the refrigerator (needs a few hours to soften)
• Lemon Curd (7½ hours) + crust (1½ hours) + cheesecake (12+ hours) = 21+ hours

MEYER LEMON CURD

• 6-8 organic Meyer lemons
• ½ cup unsalted organic butter, softened         
• 2 cups organic sugar
• 4 farm fresh eggs

CRUST

• 1¾ cups organic Graham cracker crumbs (15 crackers)
• 2 Tbsp. organic sugar
• Pinch of Himalayan pink salt (about 3-4 turns on the grinder)
• 6 Tbsp. unsalted organic butter, melted

FILLING

• 32 oz. organic cream cheese, softened
• 1⅓ cup organic sugar
• Pinch of Himalayan pink salt (about 3-4 turns on the grinder)
• 2 tsp. organic vanilla extract
• 4 farm fresh eggs
• ⅔ cup organic sour cream
• ⅔ cup organic heavy whipping cream

THE CURD

1. Zest lemons to equal 2 Tbsp. Cut lemons in half crosswise; squeeze juice over a strainer into a measuring cup to equal 1 cup.

2. In a large glass bowl, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until blended. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until blended. Gradually add lemon juice to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended after each addition, then stir in zest. Mixture will look curdled.

3. Microwave for 5 minutes, stirring at 1-minute intervals. Microwave 1 to 2 more minutes, stirring at 30-second intervals (or until mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon) and starts to mound slightly when stirred.

4. Place a double layer of plastic wrap directly on warm curd to prevent a film from forming and refrigerate for 4 hours or until firm.

THE CRUST

1. Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in lower third of oven. Crumb the graham crackers in a food processor, blender or placing in a large Ziploc bag and crushing with a rolling pin until finely ground. Put in a large bowl and stir in the sugar and salt. Stir in the melted butter.

2. Pour the crumb mixture into the springform pan and gently press down using your fingers until the crumbs are a nice even layer at the bottom of the pan.

3. Place the pan on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. While the crust is cooling, you can skip ahead and start on the filling. Wait until the crust has cooled to wrap the pan in foil in the next step.

4. Prepare the springform pan for the bain-marie:

THE CHEESECAKE

1. Heat oven to 325°F. Place the softened cream cheese into a large bowl. Mix on medium speed for 4 minutes until smooth, soft and creamy. Add the sugar, mix for 4 more minutes.

2. Add the salt and vanilla, beating after each addition. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for one minute after each addition. Add the sour cream, beat until incorporated.

3. Add the heavy cream, beat until incorporated. Keep scraping down the sides of the bowl so that all ingredients are incorporated.

4. Place the foil-wrapped springform pan in a large roasting pan. Prepare 2 quarts of boiling water.

5. Pour ⅔ of the cheesecake batter into the prepared crust. Pour 1 cup lemon curd over the batter in pan, then gently swirl with a knife. Carefully pour the remaining batter into the pan over the lemon curd layer and spread evenly with a baking spatula.

6. Place the roasting pan (with the springform pan in it) in the oven, on the lower rack. Carefully pour the hot water into the roasting pan to create a bain-marie for the cheesecake, pouring until the water reaches halfway up the side of the springform pan. You can also add the water before putting the pan in the oven, if that is easier for you.

7. Bake at 325°F for 1½ hours.

8. Turn off the oven. Crack open the oven door 1 inch and let the cheesecake cool in the oven for 1 hour.

9. Remove cheesecake from oven and gently run a knife around the outer edge of cheesecake to loosen it from the sides of pan, but do not remove the sides of the pan.

10. Place the cheesecake on a wire rack for 1 hour to let it cool completely.

11. Cover the top of the cheesecake with a foil tent, so that it doesn’t actually touch the cheesecake. Refrigerate for 8-24 hours.

THE TOPPING

1. Remove the cheesecake from the refrigerator. Remove the foil from the sides of the pan, and place the cake on your serving dish. Carefully open the springform latch to remove the sides of the springform pan.

2. Spoon ½ cup lemon curd over cheesecake and spread evenly with a baking spatula. Save any extra lemon curd to pour over individual slices, if desired. Curd can be stored for up to 2 weeks.

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