Faye Levy's Meringue-Topped Cheesecake

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Sweet Pastry

2 large egg yolks

1 Tbsp. sour cream

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2-cup sugar

Pinch of salt

7 Tbsp. margarine or unsalted butter

 

Lemon-Cheese Filling

1 pound (1 pint) cream style cottage cheese

1 point cream cheese, softened

3/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp. Sugar

4 large eggs, separated

1 large egg yolk

Grated rind of 1 lemon (1 1/2 tsp.)

2 tsp. vanilla extract

 

Meringue Topping:

3 large egg whites

1/4 tsp. cream of tartar

6 Tbsp. sugar

 

Beat egg yolks with sour cream and set aside. Combine flour, baking

powder, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Process briefly to

blend. Scatter butter pieces over mixture. Mix using on/off turns

until mixture resembles coarse meal. Pour sour cream mixture evenly

over the mixture in the processor. Process with on/off turns,

scraping down occasionally, until dough forms sticky crumbs that can

be easily pressed together and just begins to come together in a

ball. If the mixture is dry, add 1/2 tsp. water and process briefly

again.

 

Pat pastry into a lightly buttered 9- or 10-inch spring form pan to

line it 2 inches up side. Prick base and sides lightly. Freeze 20

minutes. Preheat oven to 375 F. Bake pastry shell 15 minutes until

very light golden. Remove from oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350

F. Let pastry cool while making filling.

 

Force cottage cheese through a strainer, pushing with back of a

spoon. Beat cream cheese with 3/4-cup sugar in mixer until smooth.

Beat in 5 egg yolks, one by one. Stir in cottage cheese, lemon rind,

and vanilla. Whip 4 egg whites until soft peaks form. Beat in

remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar, and whip until stiff but not dry.

Fold into cheese mixture. Transfer to pastry shell. Bake 50 to 60

minutes or until top is light brown, set and beginning to crack.

Remove from over, set pan on rack and let cool 30 minutes. Leave oven

at 350 F.

 

For the topping, combine egg whites, cream of tartar, and sugar in

bowl of mixer. Set bowl in a pan of hot water over very low heat and

stir whites with a whisk for 3 minutes or until mixture is slightly

warm and sugar dissolves. Remove from pan of water and whip at high

speed of mixer until whites are stiff. Spread over filling, using

metal spatula to decorate it in a ridged design if desired. Return

cake to over and bake about 8 to 10 minutes or until meringue is

light beige.

 

Cool cake to room temperature. Stick 5 toothpicks at edges of cake

and 1 in centre and cover cake loosely with paper towel; this keeps

paper towel from sticking to meringue. Refrigerate cake 2 hours

before serving. (Cake can be kept for 2 days in refrigerator.) Cut

cake and serve cold.

 

 

This recipe comes from Faye Levy's International Jewish Cookbook

(Warner Books, 1991).