Lemon No-Bake Cheesecake

Here is one of the recipes I used for my last catering job. I catered a lunch for a sweet woman's 80th birthday party. Her favorite flavors....lemon, peach and mango! So we had Peaches & Cream Cupcakes, Lemon Cheesecake, and Mango Tea. I searched for the perfect lemon cheesecake recipe. I wanted a light and airy cheesecake. Since I had to make 7 Cheesecakes, this recipe was perfect because it is no-bake (except for the crust). It looks pretty too...excuse the horrible picture quality. I didn't even get a chance to take great pictures of all the food. Hope you enjoy!

Lemon No-Bake Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

6 T Butter, melted

3 T Sugar

Lemon Curd:

1 egg plus 1 egg yolk

1/4 c sugar

pinch salt

2 T fresh lemon juice

1 T butter

1 T heavy cream

Filling:
1/3 c fresh lemon juice

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

3 blocks (24 oz) cream cheese, softened

1 1/2 t grated lemon zest

3/4 c sugar

Pinch of salt

1 1/4 c heavy cream

Instructions

Crust

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the 3 ingredients completely and press into the bottom of a 9 inch springform pan. Bake for about 8 minutes until the crust is lightly golden brown. Cool.

Lemon Curd

Whisk the egg, yolk, sugar and salt together in a small sauce pan. Whisk in the lemon juice and cook over medium heat. Stir CONSTANTLY (you don't want the eggs to scramble), until the mixture is thick like pudding....about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and cream. Put it in a bowl and refrigerate until needed.

Filling

Put the 1/3 c lemon juice in a small bowl. Sprinkle the gelatin over the top and let it stand about 5 minutes. Microwave the mixture for 30 seconds and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, zest, sugar and salt until smooth and creamy. Slowly add the cream and beat until light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Add the gelatin mixture and 1/4 c of the lemon curd you prepared earlier. Beat until smooth and airy, about 3 minutes. Pour into the cooled crust and smooth the top over.

For the topping:
You can use a teaspoon and dollop the remaining curd on top of the cheesecake, or you can use a ziploc bag with the end snipped off to create lines. Drag a knife through the curd to create your desired effect.

Refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Enjoy!