cheesecake {plain + simple}

I made a cheesecake for the first time for dessert on Easter.  I mentioned it before; it wasn't a pretty as I wanted it to be, but it tasted wonderful.

My mother used to sell hers when she catered and they always looked beautiful! I'm going to have to practice a bit to get it to look as pretty as hers.  

I wanted something simple and classic.

I feel like after big heavy holiday meals, it's not the time to try peach lemon cake with jalepeno whipped cream or key lime peanut butter pie.

I want the classics.

I based it off of Jenny's recipe here, with a simple cookie crust and served it with fresh berries.

Cheesecake {plain + simple}

Crust:

 - 1 cup flour
 - 1/4 cup sugar
 - zest from 1 small meyer lemon
 - 1/2 cup butter
 - 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten
 - 1/4 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 400F.

Combine first three ingredients in large bowl. Using pastry cutter (or fork), (or fingers), cut in butter until crumbly.  Add egg yolks one at a time and vanilla.  Pat a thin layer on the bottom of 9-inch spring-form pan, with the sides removed. You'll probably use about 1/2 the dough.  I didn't love working with this dough at first, but it tasted light and delicious, so you just have to be patient with it.

Bake until golden, about 7 minutes.  Let cool.

Attach spring-form to bottom and pat remaining dough on sides of the pan.

Filling:

 - 3 packages cream cheese (24 oz), room temperature 

 - zest from 2 small meyer lemons

 - juice from 2 small meyer lemons

 - 1 1/2 cups sugar

 - 1/4 tsp salt

 - 1/4 greek yogurt

 - 4 egg yolks

Add cream cheese to mixer bowl.  Beat until creamy.  Mix in sugar, zest, lemon juice and greek yogurt.  Add eggs one at a time, beat after each just until blended.

Turn into crust-lined pan.  Bake 55 minutes.  Let cool before removing spring-form.  Serve straight from the fridge with fresh berries.

LMF