1/4 cup soft butter
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp grated lemon peel
- Mix thoroughly together.
- Take approximately 1/4 of the dough and pat into the bottom of a
large (8 - 9")springform pan. - Bake at 375 for 10 minutes or until slightly brown, let cool.
- Assemble springform pan. Take remaining dough and press onto the sides of the pan.
- Meet and seal the edges
of the bottom baked crust to the dough on the sides. - Crust should be about 3/4 of the way up the sides of the pan.
- Put aside while preparing filling.
Filling
5 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
5 large pkgs cream cheese (8 oz)
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp grated lemon peel
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup evaporated milk
- Using mixer, blend cream cheese and sugar
- Add eggs one at a time and beat with mixer until smooth.
Mixture should be smooth, but do not overbeat. - Add lemon juice, peel and vanilla.
- After mixture is thoroughly combined and smooth, add evaporated milk and mix just until well blended.
- Pour into prepared crust.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. DO NOT OPEN oven door.
- Lower temperature to 275 and bake an additional hour. Cake is done when middle is "set".
Cherry Topping
1 can tart cherries in water
1 T cornstarch
1/2 tsp lemon juice
Sometimes I add a few drops of red food coloring to the cherries
- Drain juice from cherries into small saucepan, set cherries aside.
- Mix together cornstarch with about 2 T water, just enough to disolve cornstarch.
- Add cornstarch mixture to the cherry "juice" and cook over low heat until mixture thickens
and starts to turn "translucent". - Add cherries, let cool until lukewarm. Spoon carefully over cooled cheesecake and let set
for at least 2 - 3 hours.
