Cheesecake!
Ingredients
About 170g (6 oz) Petit Beurre cookies crushed
100g (3½ oz) melted butter
(Optional) ½ cup walnuts or pecans finely crushed
150g (5 oz) softened butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
500g (1 lb) 9% smooth white cheese (Ski in Israel)
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon lemon juice
14g (½oz) Kosher pure gelatin (this is one sachet out of a two sachet package)
¾ cup cold water
How to do it
Using the bottom of a one-cup measure, smooth the cookie base out evenly
1. Mix the cookies and melted butter together well until all the crumbs are coated. If you are adding nuts, reduce the cookie amount accordingly. Press onto the bottom of a 26cm (10 inch) springform pan. Tip: to get an even surface, use the back of a one-cup measure to press the crumbs down and all the way to the sides. Place in the refrigerator while you make the filling.
Keep stirring till all the gelatin is dissolved and the liquid is clear
2. Pour the water into a small saucepan. Add the gelatin and stir. Place on a very low flame. Keep stirring until all the granules are dissolved, which takes about 3-4 minutes. Set the mixture aside while you make the rest of the filling.
3. In a mixer, add the softened butter, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and rind. Beat well until combined. Stop the mixer now and again to scrape the bottom of the bowl – this mixture tends to stick to the bottom, so you need to avoid this by scraping with a spatula once or twice.
Gelatin is ready to come off the heat – a few small granules at the bottom of the pot won’t be a problem.
4. Add the cheese to the butter mixture and mix until well combined and creamy.
5. Slowly pour the gelatin into the mixture while beating slowly. When it’s all combined, pour into the cooled cookie base, cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. You can add any topping of your choice.
Serves 12-14.
