Tasty Tuesday

                I'll be glad when March is over and we can move on, it's been a hard month! Easter is this Sunday and I'm working on my menu today, so far, I'm making a ham Pioneer Woman style, with her glaze from the show over the weekend. And I have one dessert to make the final cut, this cheesecake from Southern Living, I'm such a sucker for lemon desserts!

Lemon Bar Cheesecake

• 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed 
• 2 egg yolks 
• 1 to 2 Tbsp. ice-cold water 
• 4 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened 
• 1 cup granulated sugar 
• 4 large eggs 
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 2 cups Quick and Easy Lemon Curd, divided
• Candied Lemon Slices (optional)

Preparation

1. 1. Pulse first 3 ingredients in a food processor 3 or 4 times or just until blended. Add butter, and pulse 5 or 6 times or until crumbly. Whisk together egg yolks and 1 Tbsp. ice-cold water in a small bowl; add to butter mixture, and process until dough forms a ball and pulls away from sides of bowl, adding up to 1 Tbsp. remaining ice-cold water, 1 tsp. at a time, if necessary. Shape dough into a disk; wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 4 to 24 hours.
2. 2. Roll dough into a 14-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Fit dough into a lightly greased 9-inch dark springform pan, gently pressing on bottom and up sides of pan; trim and discard excess dough. Chill 30 minutes.
3. 3. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 325°. Beat cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer 3 minutes or until smooth. Gradually add granulated sugar, beating until blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears after each addition. Beat in vanilla.
4. 4. Pour two-thirds of cheesecake batter (about 4 cups) into prepared crust; dollop 1 cup lemon curd over batter in pan, and gently swirl with a knife. Spoon remaining batter into pan.
5. 5. Bake at 325° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or just until center is set. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven, with door closed, 15 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven, and gently run a knife around outer edge of cheesecake to loosen from sides of pan. (Do not remove sides of pan.) Cool completely in pan on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours.
6. 6. Remove sides of pan, and transfer cheesecake to a serving platter. Spoon remaining 1 cup lemon curd over cheesecake, and, if desired, top with Candied Lemon Slices.

Southern Living 
FEBRUARY 2013

Lemon curd is very easy to make, you can do a search on my blog, as I have a recipe for it or just google it, and you can always go to Southern Living for their recipe. Enjoy!!