Thanksgiving Recipe Request – Cheesecake

So, by request here is the recipe for one of my Thanksgiving Dishes:

Preserved Lemon Cheesecake with homemade Limoncello Semifreddo & Basil Syrup.

It is a combination of a few recipes I’ve found online that I’ve made my own modifications to and this is a home run dessert.  I’m not a big fan of sweet things and always enjoy dessert much more when there’s a slightly savory or salty component to it.  I also find that little savory touch makes a sweet dessert much better with wine.  The preserved lemons I made for this one have a little less salt, but I use also use fine granulated raw sugar with the cheesecake.  I find that balances out the salt a little better.  Remember, you want the thing to still be a dessert. The hint of salt and/or savory in dessert should be a whisper, a surprise if you will, not the voice of the dish.

The base cheesecake I make is actually a variation of Tom Fitzmorris’s Orange Cheesecake.  I’ve made it before and while I don’t care much for orange cheesecake I think the technique he uses make a denser and richer cheesecake than quicker versions.  It also seems to incorporate flavors better.  I’ve always made lemon whipped creams served fresh with this, however this semi freddo recipe was a recipe I found when hunting for sweet uses for preserved lemons and it is an excellent topping to cheesecake.   I found it on seriouseats.com and have become a big fan of the site.  As well I’ve tweaked that recipe a little bit too.

I first started playing with preserved lemons a while back and now use them a lot in what I cook.  Making preserved lemons is pretty easy, provided you have time.  If you don’t you can find them around town, the best place I’ve found is Nor-Joe’s right off of Metairie Road.

This dessert is a crap ton of detailed work, but it is indeed a memorable dish, a real wow.  Anyway, here goes the components:

Preserved Lemon Cheesecake topped with homemade Limoncello Semifreddo and Basil Syrup

Preserved Lemons

• 4-5 Meyer lemons (preferably Plaquemines grown), well scrubbed
• 2/3 cup Kosher salt
• 1 cup fresh lemon juice (from about 5 large lemons)

1.    Wash and dry lemons and cut any stems/stem remnants off.
2.    Cut each lemon into about 8 wedges.
3.    In a glass bowl mix wedges with salt and transfer to a large mason jar (app. 5-6c)
4.    Add lemon juice and cover jar with mason lid.  Paraffin wax not necessary.
5.    Let lemons stand at room temperature but out of sunlight for 7 days, shaking jar each day. To store unused lemons and store, cover with olive oil and refrigerate.  Will keep up several months.

Limoncello

• 1-750ml 100 proof Vodka (I use Stolichnaya)
• 8-10 Meyer lemons
• 1 cup Raw Sugar
• 1 cup water

1.    Pour Vodka into a 32 ounce mason jar.
2.    Zest completely all lemons making certain not to get any pith into the zest mix.  I use a Plane Zester for this.  Pour Zest into jar with vodka.
3.    Cover tightly and place in a dark closet for 30 days, shaking well every 3rd or 4th day.
4.    On day 30 mix sugar with water and place over medium-low heat until solution is reduced by 1/3 to ¼.  Set aside.
5.    Pour vodka and zest through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheese cloth, squeezing zest back into vodka.  Pour vodka back into jar.  .
6.    Add simple syrup two table spoons at a time, stirring well, until you reach your desired level of sweetness.  I usually use around 6-8 tablespoons.

Semifreddo
Ingredients

• 1 small preserved lemon, finely diced
• Zest 1/2 lemon
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/8 cup limoncello
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 egg whites
• 1 1/3 cup heavy cream

Procedure
1. Prepare a loaf pan by spraying it with nonstick cooking spray and lining it with 2 large pieces of plastic wrap which hang over the edges of the pan.
2. Place the finely diced preserved lemon pieces in a mesh sieve, and rinse thoroughly. Pat dry with paper towels.
3. Make the lemon simple syrup by combining the dry preserved lemon pieces, the lemon zest, the water, and the sugar in a sauce pot. Cook over medium-high heat just until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Use the mesh strainer to separate the lemon bits from the syrup; keep both components.
4. Beat the cream in a stand mixer on high just until stiff. Set aside.
5. In a clean mixer bowl, mix the egg whites on high until they begin to take shape and froth. Slowly pour the lemon syrup into the egg whites while the mixer is on medium-low speed. Then turn up the speed to high, and beat until the whites are glossy and doubled in volume–about 5 or 6 minutes.
6. Fold the reserved lemon bits into the egg whites carefully. Do the same with the whipped cream. Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and cover the top with the over-hanging plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 6 hours, or overnight. Invert it onto a big plate, and remove the plastic. Slice it into small wedges, put on top of individual slices of cheesecake and serve drizzled with basil syrup

Basil Syrup
Ingredients

• 1/3 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, about 10 leaves

Procedure
Combine the water, sugar, and basil in a saucepan, and cook over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Allow to come to room temperature, then whirl it around in a mini food processor until the syrup is flecked with points of green. Spoon over the Preserved Lemon Semifreddo and allow it to pool down the sides. Serve extra for drizzling over each slice.

Preserved Lemon Cheesecake
Crust:

• 2 packages (out of the standard three in the standard box) cinnamon graham crackers
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 stick butter, melted

• 4 8-oz. packages cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup raw sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 pint whipping cream
• 1 Tbs. vanilla
• 1 tsp. fresh lime juice
• 1/8 cup slightly sweetened lemon juice
• 1/8 cup lemon preserve liquid (check for saltiness, if too salty reduce to 1Tbsp and add 1Tbsp sweetened lemon juice).
• Zest (grated peel) of 6 preserved lemons wedges

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

1. Put the cream cheese and the sugar into the bowl of a mixer and blend on medium-slow speed until completely blended and fluffy–about 10 minutes.

2. While that’s going on, make the crust. Grind the graham crackers into small crumbs in a food processor. Add the sugar and the butter and process until the butter has soaked all the crumbs.

3. Line the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Dump the crust mixture in and press a wedge of crumbs into the bottom corner all the way around. Then make a bottom crust, and finally press the remaining crumbs up the sides of the pan. It is not necessary for the crust to come all the way to the top of the pan. Set aside.

4. Add the sour cream to the mixer bowl. With a rubber spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl after this and each other ingredient addition throughout the recipe.

5. Add the eggs, one at a time, allowing them to blend in completely before adding the next one. (Break each egg into a cup first to make sure it’s okay before you add it.)

6. Add the cream, the vanilla, the juices, and the zest. Mix for another five minutes or so.

7. Pour the filling into the crust. Place the springform pan in a shallow pan (i.e., a pizza pan), and place it in the center of the oven at 275 degrees (no convection). Pour warm water into the bottom pan. Bake for 90 minutes, until you see the cheesecake has just a hint of browning on top.

8. Turn the oven off, but leave the cheesecake inside. After an hour, open the door a crack and let the cheesecake cool in the oven another half-hour. Remove the cheesecake and let it finish cooling on a counter. After another hour, remove the sides of the springform pan and put the cheesecake into the refrigerator. Chill at least three hours before serving.

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