Lemon Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust:
¾ cup slivered almonds, toasted (oven on 350° for 5 mins)
¾ cup graham cracker crumbs (about 9 crackers ground in food processor)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest

Lemon Curd:

½ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
½ cup sugar
3 large eggs
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into bits

For crust:

Preheat to 350°F. Grind nuts and graham crackers in food processor. Add butter and pulse until crumbs are moist. Press mixture onto bottom and ½ inch up sides of 9-inch-diameter spring form pan lined with parchment paper. Chill while making filling.

For filling and curd:

Beat cream cheese in large bowl until fluffy. Slowly add sugar; beat until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating 30 seconds after each. Mix in lemon juice and peel.

Pour filling into crust. Bake cake until outer 2-inch portion of top is set and center looks slightly glossy and is barely set, about 45 minutes. Transfer to rack cool to room temperature. Cover; chill overnight.

While cake bakes, make curd. Whisk lemon juice, zest, sugar, and eggs in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Stir in butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubble appears on surface, about 6 minutes from when butter has fully melted.

Transfer lemon curd to a bowl and chill, its surface covered with plastic wrap. You might want to strain the curd through a fine mesh sieve at some point, because no matter how diligently you whisk, you might still end up with a few lumps of cooked egg in your curd.

To assemble, spread lemon curd on top of cheesecake and sprinkle with fresh blueberries. Serve with fresh mint if desired.

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