Lemon Cheesecake

• 1 package of graham crackers
• 8 tbls of butter
• 3 tbls of sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of nutmeg

Filling

• 24 oz of cream cheese
• 5 lemon
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1/4 cup of sour cream
• 2 tbls of lemon zest
• 5 tbls of cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1 egg yolk

Making the crust

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Break up the graham crackers in to small crumbs and place in a bowl with the sugar, nutmeg and salt.
3. Using a cheese grater, grate the butter into the mixture. Mix using your hands until the butter is incorporated evenly throught the mixture.
4. Place the mixture in the bottom of a springload pan. Distribute the mixture evenly and press down until the mixture is firm in the pan.
5. Place the springload pan into the over for 5 minutes. This will a allow the crust to set. Remove and allow to cool.

Making the filling of the cheesecake.

1. Place the sugar, cornstarch and the cream cheese into a large mixing bowl and combine with a hand mixture. Try to get the sugar and cornstach incorporated into the cream cheese.
2. Add the egg yolk and the three eggs, one at a time to the mixture. Blend the mixture. The mixture will become smoother.
3. Take the lemons and microwave them for about 40 seconds. This will allow one to get more of the juice from the lemon. Before cutting the lemon in half use the cheese grater to remove some of the lemon zest from the lemons. Squeeze the lemons to get juice from the lemons. Make sure to strain the lemon mixture to remove the seeds. You should obtain about 1/2 cups of lemon juice.
4. Add the lemon juice, sour cream and the vanilla extract to the mixture and blend to obtain a smooth mixture.

Assembly

1. Pour the cream cheese mixture into the springload pan. Place into a 350 F oven for 15 minutes.
2. After 15 minutes turn the oven down to 200 F and place a water bath into the the oven. The water bath will provide moisture and allow the cheese cake to cook slowly. Leave it in the 200 F oven for 70 minutes or an hour and 10 minutes.
3. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Then move to the refrigerator for a minimum of 6 hours or overnight. If I am inpatient, I will put it in the freezer for an hour to speed up the cooling. Then transfer it to the refrigerator for 3 hours.
4. Cut and serve.