Winter Citrus Cheesecake

Crust

1 ½ cup homemade or store-bought graham cookies

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Cake

1 ½ pounds cream cheese, room temperature

1 cup superfine sugar

Grated rind of one citrus (lemon, orange, or blood orange), chopped finely

1/3 cup homemade or store bought creme fraîche

1 vanilla bean, scraped

3 eggs, room temperature

Topping

1 cup citrus curd (recipe on blog)

Method:

Butter a 9-inch springform pan.

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle & preheat the oven to 350 F.

Place graham crackers in a food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs. Pour crumbs into a small bowl, followed by butter and sugar. Stir until combine. Press crumbs into the bottom and sides of the springform pan.

Pre-bake the crust until dark golden brown and firm, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

Put the springform pan on top of a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Wrap around the bottom tightly halfway up the sides of the pan.

In a stand mixer or large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar with paddle attachment on medium speed until fluffy for 3 minutes.

Add the citrus zest, creme fraîche and vanilla and blend until thoroughly combined. Do NOT overdo it, or your cake will crack on the top. Reduce to low speed, adding eggs one at a time into the cream cheese mixture. Blend until each egg is thoroughly incorporated before adding the next and stop the mixer. The mixture should be smooth.

Strain the batter through a wire mesh sieve strainer into a bowl. Pour the cheesecake filling into the crust.

Place the pan in a large deep-dish baking or roasting pan.

Prepare a water bath by boiling water. You will need enough to fill approximately 1-inch of water in the roasting pan.

Pour boiled water halfway up the sides of the cheesecake pan.

Partially cover without sealing in a tent-shape the cheesecake with aluminum foil. Bake until the center is nearly set for about 1 hour and a half. It should jiggle ever so slightly in the center.

Turn the oven off and leave the door ajar for an hour.

Remove cake from water and wrap well. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Run a knife around the edges of the springform pan to loosen the cake before removing the rim. Spread the lemon curd over the top of the cake. (If the curd is too stiff, whisk it in a small bowl before spreading the cheesecake).