Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
SERVES
8
PEOPLE
PREP TIME
180
MINUTES
COOKING TIME
60
MINUTES
CUISINE
Irish
COURSE
Dessert
Method
Make your cheesecake and meringues the day before you want to serve this dessert. That way you can be fully confident that the cheesecake will have set, and all you will have left to do is make the lemon curd and then dress your cheesecake before serving it.
Pulse the biscuits for the base in a food processor until they are reduced to a crumb. Melt the butter and add in, combining it thoroughly with the biscuit crumb. Spread the mixture over the base of a 23cm spring form or push up baking tin and press it down firmly to get an even layer. Pop the tin in the fridge to chill while you prepare the filling.
Put the leaves of gelatine in a bowl of cold water and soak them for ten minutes. Heat 175ml of the cream in a saucepan, taking it almost to the boil and then, take it off the heat. Remove the leaves of gelatine from the water and give them a good squeeze in your hand to remove any excess water. Add to the pan of hot cream and stir them in. They will dissolve almost instantly.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cottage cheese, cream cheese, sugar, the zest of one lemon and the juice of two. You can do this in a food mixer. Next, add in the cream and gelatine mixture and stir to combine it thoroughly. Lightly whip the remaining 175ml of cream until you have soft peaks and fold it through the cheese and cream mixture.
Whisk an egg white until you have stiff peaks, and then carefully fold that through the mixture. You can leave out the egg white if you wish, but it adds a beautiful lightness to the filling that is well worth the little extra effort.
Pour the mixture into the cake tin, giving it a few gentle taps on your worktop to sure it is spread evenly across the tin. Cover the tin with some cling film and allow it to set overnight in the fridge. If you prefer to make your cheesecake on the day you will serve it, make sure you allow at least three hours for it to set. Allowing it to set overnight though guarantees that it will be ready to serve when you need it.
To make the meringues: Heat your oven to 120 Celsius. Whisk the egg whites in a mixer or food processor at medium speed until you have stiff peaks. Now, with the mixer running at the same speed, add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, allowing a few minutes between each addition to allow the sugar to dissolve into the egg whites. Whisk until all the sugar is added and you have a glossy meringue mixture with shiny, stiff peaks.
Line a baking tray with non-stick paper and use two dessert spoons to measure out some of the meringue, placing it on the tray. You could pipe the meringue if you wish to make little meringue kisses, but I like a more irregular shaped meringue on top of this dessert. Bake the meringues for one hour, then turn off the oven. Leave the meringues in the oven, with the door pried slightly ajar with the handle of a wooden spoon until it is completely cool. You can leave the meringues there overnight if you wish until you are ready to use them the next day. Once cool, they should be stored in a dry, airtight container until needed.
To make the curd: Put the lemon zest, juice, sugar and butter into a heatproof bowl along with the sugar and butter. Use a bowl that will sit into the top of a saucepan of gently simmering water so that it rests high enough in the pan but does not touch the water. Stir every now and again until the butter has melted, and the sugar has dissolved.
Put one egg plus the yolk of another into a bowl and lightly whisk them. Now add the whisked egg slowly into the lemon mixture, whisking all the time. Keep gently whisking over the heat to cook the curd. Once it is creamy and coats the back of a spoon and has a custard like consistency it is done. Remove the bowl with the curd from the saucepan and set it aside to cool. Stir it occasionally as it cools to avoid a skin forming over the top.
When you are ready to serve, carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin. Spoon some lemon curd over the centre of the cheesecake and add lots of the meringues. Add some strips of fresh lemon zest and finally, scatter the top with toasted almonds. Drizzle the cheesecake with a little more lemon curd for effect just before you bring it to the table.
Ingredients
For the base:
200g digestive biscuits
100g unsalted butter
For the filling:
350ml cream
300g cottage cheese
200g cream cheese
100g caster sugar
3 sheets of platinum leaf gelatine
2 lemons
1 egg white
For the meringue:
2 egg whites
100g caster sugar
For the lemon curd:
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
100g caster sugar
50g unsalted butter
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
To serve:
A handful of toasted flaked almonds
Some strips of lemon zest
Method
Make your cheesecake and meringues the day before you want to serve this dessert. That way you can be fully confident that the cheesecake will have set, and all you will have left to do is make the lemon curd and then dress your cheesecake before serving it.
Pulse the biscuits for the base in a food processor until they are reduced to a crumb. Melt the butter and add in, combining it thoroughly with the biscuit crumb. Spread the mixture over the base of a 23cm spring form or push up baking tin and press it down firmly to get an even layer. Pop the tin in the fridge to chill while you prepare the filling.
Put the leaves of gelatine in a bowl of cold water and soak them for ten minutes. Heat 175ml of the cream in a saucepan, taking it almost to the boil and then, take it off the heat. Remove the leaves of gelatine from the water and give them a good squeeze in your hand to remove any excess water. Add to the pan of hot cream and stir them in. They will dissolve almost instantly.
In a mixing bowl, combine the cottage cheese, cream cheese, sugar, the zest of one lemon and the juice of two. You can do this in a food mixer. Next, add in the cream and gelatine mixture and stir to combine it thoroughly. Lightly whip the remaining 175ml of cream until you have soft peaks and fold it through the cheese and cream mixture.
Whisk an egg white until you have stiff peaks, and then carefully fold that through the mixture. You can leave out the egg white if you wish, but it adds a beautiful lightness to the filling that is well worth the little extra effort.
Pour the mixture into the cake tin, giving it a few gentle taps on your worktop to sure it is spread evenly across the tin. Cover the tin with some cling film and allow it to set overnight in the fridge. If you prefer to make your cheesecake on the day you will serve it, make sure you allow at least three hours for it to set. Allowing it to set overnight though guarantees that it will be ready to serve when you need it.
To make the meringues: Heat your oven to 120 Celsius. Whisk the egg whites in a mixer or food processor at medium speed until you have stiff peaks. Now, with the mixer running at the same speed, add the sugar a tablespoon at a time, allowing a few minutes between each addition to allow the sugar to dissolve into the egg whites. Whisk until all the sugar is added and you have a glossy meringue mixture with shiny, stiff peaks.
Line a baking tray with non-stick paper and use two dessert spoons to measure out some of the meringue, placing it on the tray. You could pipe the meringue if you wish to make little meringue kisses, but I like a more irregular shaped meringue on top of this dessert. Bake the meringues for one hour, then turn off the oven. Leave the meringues in the oven, with the door pried slightly ajar with the handle of a wooden spoon until it is completely cool. You can leave the meringues there overnight if you wish until you are ready to use them the next day. Once cool, they should be stored in a dry, airtight container until needed.
To make the curd: Put the lemon zest, juice, sugar and butter into a heatproof bowl along with the sugar and butter. Use a bowl that will sit into the top of a saucepan of gently simmering water so that it rests high enough in the pan but does not touch the water. Stir every now and again until the butter has melted, and the sugar has dissolved.
Put one egg plus the yolk of another into a bowl and lightly whisk them. Now add the whisked egg slowly into the lemon mixture, whisking all the time. Keep gently whisking over the heat to cook the curd. Once it is creamy and coats the back of a spoon and has a custard like consistency it is done. Remove the bowl with the curd from the saucepan and set it aside to cool. Stir it occasionally as it cools to avoid a skin forming over the top.
When you are ready to serve, carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin. Spoon some lemon curd over the centre of the cheesecake and add lots of the meringues. Add some strips of fresh lemon zest and finally, scatter the top with toasted almonds. Drizzle the cheesecake with a little more lemon curd for effect just before you bring it to the table.
