Monday, May 07, 2012

Lime Cheesecake Tart

I love cheesecakes.  However, I tend not to make them very often because I am sooo intimidated by them.  I find them very finicky and find that there's too many things that could go wrong with them.  I usually throw my hands up in the air in defeat.  Trouble is, they are one of Gavin's favorite desserts so there's only so much longer I can hide from making them.  I had some extra cream cheese sitting in the fridge and needed to use it up sooner than later (I'm a great procrastinator you see!).  I'm glad I did, otherwise I wouldn't have made this tart.  I also had some extra limes sitting around that I was going to use for Cinco de Mayo (yay!).

I don't get to use my tart pans very often, and thought it would work perfectly for this recipe.  In return, it yielded 1 large tart and 2 smaller sized tarts.  They weren't too sweet, or too sour, but the flavor of the lime really came through.  You can add blackberries to this or even a blackberry sauce and it would pair lovely together.  The only issue I had with this recipe was the crust.  I used a dough from  Joy the Baker's cookbook, but noticed that it didn't cook all the way through with the filling.  I would recommend cooking the crust for 6-10 minutes (less for the smaller tarts) prior to adding the filling, then baking for 55-60 minutes.  With the smaller tarts, I cut the cooking time down to 25-30 minutes.  I'm surprised I still have some left in the fridge, I'm trying to discipline myself!

What's everyone up to this week?  I am going to Vancouver for a work-related conference for a couple of days.  I'm really excited to eat and try lots of food (and learning, of course!).  I have a serious love/obsession for sushi so I'm guessing that's what I'm going to be eating most nights....yumm!

Lime Cheesecake Tart

Makes one large and two small sized tarts

INGREDIENTS

For the tart crust

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

scant 1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 unsalted butter, cold,

1 large egg yolk, beaten

For the cheesecake
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened at room temp
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
Juice of 2 limes
Zest of 2 limes

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt and spices. Using your hands, cut in the butter with your gingers until well incorporated, until the size of small peas. Once incorporated, add the egg yolk and bring the mixture together with a fork. The mixture will be crumbly.  Dump the mixture into the tart pans and press the crust into the sides and the bottom of the pans. Chill for one hour in the freezer.

Preheat the oven to 325 ˚F.  

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed until smooth. Gradually mix in the sugar. Blend in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Beat in the lime juice and lime zest until well combined.  

*Note-Please see above for recommendations regarding the tart crust.

To minimize cracking, place a shallow pan half full of hot water on the bottom rack of the oven during baking.  Bake for 55-65 minutes or until the center is set (25-33 minutes for mini tart pans).

Turn the oven off and prop the door open about 4 inches (I didn't do this with the smaller tarts, and they didn't crack. I did, however do this for the larger tart).  

Let the cheesecake stand 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool 10 minutes. Carefully remove the sides of the pan and let cool to room temperature on the rack. Cover and refrigerate for at least 8 hours before slicing and serving.

Source: Tart crust from Joy the Baker's cookbook, Lime Cheesecake adapted from Annie's Eats