a bit of lemon

Click here to I recently saw a delicious dessert in The New York Times for an easy to make Lemon Cheesecake Tart by Yossy Arefi. I thought this would be a lovely dessert for Easter. You’ll need a pan with a removable bottom, I used a fluted tart pan. For the recipe you need flour, sugar, fine salt, lemon zest and juice, unsalted butter, cream cheese and eggs. ​

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The rich butter pastry is made in a food processor. Once made, it’s pressed into the bottom of the pan and pressed up the sides. The crust is blind baked, meaning the shell is lined with a piece of aluminum foil and tucked into the corners and over the edges. I also filled mine with pie weights to prevent the crust from shrinking and puffing up.

While the shell bakes, I used the same food processor bowl and made the filling. The filling consists of 16 ounces of room temperature cream cheese, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, pinch of salt and two eggs. Once the shell is golden, it’s removed from the oven and the filling is poured into the crust. As the crust is already baked, the filling only needs a short amount time in the oven. Once done, the tart is cooled to room temperature before going into the refrigerator to completely chill.
 
To serve, remove the rim of the cake pan and set the tart on a dish. Before slicing, dip a knife in hot water and wipe. A warm knife will make the cleanest cuts. You can serve the tart cold or at room temperature, I prefer cold.
 
What tasty tart! Though not as tall as a cheesecake, the filling was both rich creamy with a hint of lemon both. As my son and grandson were both ill for Easter, I delivered several pieces to their house to go along with the Easter dinner I prepared. Two slices went to my neighbor and the remaining slice my husband and I shared the other evening. What a nice low stress dessert to prepare for company.

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Lemon Cheesecake Tart
By Yossy Arefi
The New York Times/NYT Cooking
Yield: 1 (9-inch) tart
Time: 1-1/4 hours, plus cooling

Ingredients
For the Crust
1½ cups/190 grams all-purpose flour
½ cup/50 grams confectioners’ sugar
½ teaspoon fine salt
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
10 tablespoons/142 grams unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes, plus more for greasing the pan
1 egg yolk
For the Filling
16 ounces/450 grams cream cheese, softened to room temperature
½ cup/100 grams granulated sugar
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons plus ¼ cup freshly squeezed juice
Pinch fine salt
2 large eggs
 
PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Make the crust: Combine the flour, confectioners' sugar, salt and lemon zest in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade; pulse a few times to combine. Scatter the cubed butter on top, then pulse until the butter is almost completely incorporated and the mixture is sandy. Add the egg yolk and pulse until incorporated. The dough should hold together easily. If not, pulse in up to 3 teaspoons of cold water, 1 teaspoon at a time. Alternatively, you can mix the dough in a large bowl, using your fingers or a pastry blender to mix the butter into the flour.
3. Lightly butter a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and press the dough mixture evenly on the bottom and up the sides of the pan using a lightly floured straight-sided measuring cup to help press the dough into the corners of the pan. (If you need to trim extra dough to make it level with the edge of the pan, reserve it to repair any cracks after the shell has baked.)
4. Line the tart shell with a piece of aluminum foil, making sure to tuck it into the corners and over the edges. Set the tart shell on a baking sheet and bake the shell for 25 to 30 minutes or until the dough appears dry and lightly golden. If the dough puffs up while baking, gently press it back into the pan with an offset spatula or similar tool. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees. If necessary, repair any cracks with the remaining raw dough before filling.
5. While the shell cools slightly, make the filling: Add the cream cheese, granulated sugar, lemon zest and salt to a large bowl. Use an electric mixer to whip the cream cheese mixture until smooth and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing until completely incorporated before adding the next, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, if needed. Add the lemon juice and mix until smooth. Tap the bowl on the counter a few times then stir a few times with a rubber spatula to release any large air bubbles.
6. Pour the mixture into the warm crust, smooth the top and carefully transfer the pan, still on the baking sheet, into the oven. Bake until just set around the edges and slightly wiggly in the center, 15 to 20 minutes.
7. Let the tart cool to room temperature, then transfer to the refrigerator to cool completely. Remove the outer ring and slice with a warm knife, wiping the knife with a towel in between cuts for the tidiest slices. Serve cold or at room temperature. This keeps well in the fridge, covered for a few days.

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