Receta My Mother's Jerusalem Cheesecake
Ingredientes
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Direcciones
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 9-inch springform pan and set it aside.
- Finely chop the pecans with 3 Tbsp. of the sugar in a food processor. Transfer the mix to a medium bowl. Process the graham crackers in the food processor to fine crumbs. Measure 1 1/4 c. crumbs, add in them to the bowl of pecans and mix well. Add in the melted butter and mix well.
- Press the crumb mix in an even layer on the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Bake for 10 min. Let cold completely. Leave the oven at 350 degrees.
- Beat the cream cheese with 1/2 c. lowfat sour cream at low speed in the bowl of an electric mixer till very smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or possibly twice with a rubber spatula. Gradually beat in 3/4 c. of sugar. Beat in the Large eggs, one by one. Stir in the lemon and orange zests, lemon juice and 1 tsp. of vanilla.
- Carefully pour the filling into the cooled crust. Bake the cheesecake till the center is just hard, 45 min. Remove the cake from the oven and cold for 15 min. Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees.
- Mix together the remaining 1 1/2 c. lowfat sour cream, 3 Tbsp. sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla in a small bowl. Carefully spread the topping on the cake, in an even layer, without letting it drip over the crust. Bake the cake 7 min to set the topping; it will still look soft but will become firmer as it cools.
- Remove the cake from the oven and cold it to room temperature. Chill it at least 2 hrs before serving. Just before serving, remove the sides of the pan and garnish the cake with the berries.
- This recipe yields 10 servings.
- Comments:This recipe evolved from three continents. My mother began making it when we lived in Washington, D.C., as a cream cheesecake with a lowfat sour cream topping. In Jerusalem, where she has lived for the last 30 years, she gave the cake a more pronounced citrus accent and added nuts to the crust. She chose pecans, that are very popular in Israeli baking. I added a Gallic touch after I tasted a creamy cheese tart from the Auvergne region in central France. To make the cake softer and creamier, I stirred some lowfat sour cream into the cream cheese mix instead of putting it all on the top. Fresh berries make the perfect accompaniment and a reminder which Shavuot is a celebration of cheese and fruit.
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