Cheesecake mmmm....

This is probably my favorite cheesecake yet. Found here!

Crust
1 1/2 cups cookie crumbs
6 Tbsp unsalted butter

Melt butter and mix together with crumbs. Press into bottom of pan and put in preheated oven  (350°F) for 10 minutes.

New York Cheesecake

(Jim Fobel's Old-Fashioned Baking Book)

5 large eggs, room temperature

2 cups (one pint) sour cream, room temperature

4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature

8 tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

Generously butter the inside of a 9-10 inch spring-form pan (NO SMALLER, unless you are planning on making a bunch of mini ones).  Wrap a double layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil tightly around the outside bottom and sides, conforming to the pan.  This will help to prevent water seeping into the pan when you put it into the bain-marie (water bath).  

Position the baking rack in the center of the oven; preheat the oven to 300° Fahrenheit. 

In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs with the sour cream until well blended.

In a medium-sized bowl, beat the cream cheese with the butter until smooth and creamy.  Add this to the egg-sour cream mixture and beat until smooth. 

Add the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest and beat thoroughly, about 2 minutes. 

Pour into the prepared springform pan and place in a roasting pan (or other pan) large enough to prevent the sides from touching.  Place in the oven and carefully pour in enough very hot tap water, into the roasting pan, to reach halfway up the sides of the springform pan.

Bake for 2 hours, 15 minutes, or until the cake is very lightly colored and a knife inserted in the center emerges clean.  Remove from the water bath and carefully peel the aluminum foil from around the pan.  Let stand at room temperature until completely cool, about 4 hours.  Refrigerate, covered, until well chilled.  For best flavor and texture, this cheesecake is best chilled overnight.

**I can't stress enough how important it is to let those first 4 ingredients in this recipe come to room temperature.  I've hurried the cream cheese and have had unsightly lumps of it in my batter. 

**When you first remove the cheesecake from the oven, it looks light and puffy, and there may be some hairline cracks in the top.  Do not despair.  As the cheesecake cools, it will gently deflate and the hairline cracks disappear.

Lemon Curd topping: found here

Ingredients:

3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs

1 egg yolk

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
grated rind from 2 lemons (I used about 2 rounded Tablespoons)
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly

Directions:

In a microwave-safe bowl, whisk together the sugar and eggs until smooth. Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest and butter.

Cook in the microwave, high power for 3-4 minutes at 1 minute intervals, stirring well after each minute, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon. (I cooked for 1 minute twice then 30 seconds and finally three times at 15 seconds).

Pour 1/2 cup onto chilled cheesecake and the rest into small sterile jars. The Lemon Curd can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks or in the freezer up to a year.