Meyer Lemon Cheesecake

This was a bountiful year for my Meyer lemon tree. I ended up with over 300 lemons! Awesome--right? But what exactly does one person do with 300+ lemons? Well, they became part of my Christmas gift to friends and neighbors, along with some homemade limoncello. That, however, left me with more than I could use in my normal, everyday cooking. Because of that, lemon has been the flavor of the month. Everything lemon has been my mantra. Today, cheesecake is getting a lemon twist. Who doesn't like cheesecake? It's a rich, decadent treat that most of us reserve for special occasions. Unless you have 200 lemons you are trying to use...                                                                      

So, lemon cheesecake it is! I made mine with a ginger snap crust, but if you're more of a traditionalist, go ahead and use graham crackers. Here's what you'll need:

  • 1 ¼ c graham cracker crumbs (15 squares) or 1 box ginger snaps, ground into crumbs
  • 4 TBL melted butter
  • 2 TBL sugar
  • 5 8 oz pkg cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 ¾ c sugar
  • ¼ c sour cream, or Greek yogurt
  • 5 TBL flour
  • 3 TBL Meyer lemon zest
  • 1/2 C fresh Meyer lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 5 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix graham cracker or ginger snap crumbs, butter and 2 TBL sugar and press firmly into bottom of 9” springform pan. I like to use the bottom of a glass to press the crumbs into a compact layer. I should also mention here that I decided to make several small cakes instead of a 9" cake. My only recommendation is that if you decide to do that, make sure that all the cakes are the same size. I made my life much more difficult by using 2 different sizes. I had to use 2 ovens and vary the cooking time for each because of the size difference. The baking time I am using here is for a 9" cake. Bake 10 minutes. Cool.

After the crusts have been removed from the oven, heat the oven to 475 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, beat the room temperature cream cheese, sugar, flour, lemon peel, lemon juice, salt, and 2 of the eggs until smooth.  Continue beating and add the additional eggs and yolks, one at a time, incorporating well.  Blend in sour cream or Greek yogurt on low speed.  Pour into pan.

Bake 15 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 200 degrees.  Bake one more hour, turn oven off and leave cake in 15 more minutes. The cake should be golden around the edges and set in the middle. Take out of oven and cool completely.

After the cheesecake has cooled completely, remove it from the pan. At this point it is ready to serve or it can be frozen. Store it covered in the refrigerator.

Meyer lemon cheesecake

Enjoy!

Lynn

Just in case you were wondering what 300 lemons looks like...

             MEYER LEMON CHEESECAKE 

  • 1 ¼ c graham cracker crumbs (15 squares) or 1 box Ginger Snaps
  • 4 TBL melted butter
  • 2 TBL sugar
  • 5 8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
  • 1 ¾ c sugar
  • ¼ c sour cream or Greek yogurt
  • 5 TBL flour
  • 3 TBL grated lemon peel
  • 1/2 C fresh Meyer lemon juice
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 5 eggs
  • 2 egg yolks

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix crumbs, butter and 2 TBL sugar and press firmly into bottom of 9” springform pan.  Bake 10 minutes. Cool.  Heat oven to 475 degrees.  Beat cream cheese, sugar flour, lemon peel, juice, salt and 2 of the eggs in large bowl until smooth.  Continue beating and add eggs and yolks one at a time.  Blend in sour cream or Greek yogurt on low speed.  Pour into pan.  Bake 15 minutes the reduce temperature to 200 degrees.  Bake one more hour, turn oven off and leave cake in 15 more minutes.  Take out of oven and cool completely, cover and refrigerate.  Can be frozen for 3 weeks.  Good in refrigerator for 10 days.  

Pumpkin Cranberry Granola

Okay, I have to confess that I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin. Every fall when people start gushing about all things pumpkin, I don't get it. I do, however, know that it's good for you, nutritionally speaking. That's why I decided to try it again in this granola. Much to my surprise, I really like it this way. It gives this granola an extra punch of flavor that is perfect with the maple syrup and cranberries. It turned out so tasty, in fact, that I served it with some maple pumpkin yogurt at a brunch I hosted. It was a huge hit. Recipe requested kind of hit. After my mom had some at Thanksgiving, she called to tell me that if i wanted to make her something for Christmas, she would really like some more pumpkin granola. That's why you should try some. It's really good. Here's what you'll need:

  • 6 C oats
  • 2 C raw pecans
  • 1 C pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 1 C raw almonds
  • 1/2 C coconut oil, melted
  • 1 C pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 C maple syrup
  • 1/4 C light brown sugar
  • 1/4 C honey
  • 1 TBL vanilla
  • 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 C water
  • 2 C dried cranberries

Start by chopping the almonds and pecans. I like to know what kind of nut I'm eating, so I do a very rough chop, even leaving some of them whole.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, chopped pecans, chopped almonds, and pepitas.

In a microwavable measuring cup, melt the coconut oil. Add the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, brown sugar, honey, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt and stir until combined. Add the water and mix well.

Pour the liquid over the oats and stir until all the oats are covered with some of the liquid. I start using a spoon, then I finish mixing with my hands to make sure everything is coated.

Pour the mixture evenly into 2 cookie sheets, spreading into an even layer.

Bake in a 250 degree oven for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. After 1 hour, raise the oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake 30 more minutes or until the granola starts to become dry and crunchy. It doesn't get truly crunchy until it cools, though, so don't let it burn.

Remove from oven and let cool. Stir in the dried cranberries. 

Store in an air tight container. I served it with Maple Pumpkin Yogurt, but it's just as good all by itself.

Enjoy!

Lynn

            Pumpkin Spiced Granola

  • 6 C oats
  • 2 C raw pecans
  • 1 C pepitas (pumpkin seeds)
  • 1 C raw almonds
  • 1/2 C coconut oil, melted
  • 1 C pumpkin puree
  • 1/2 C maple syrup
  • 1/4 C light brown sugar
  • 1/4 C honey
  • 1 TBL vanilla
  • 3 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/4 C water
  • 2 C dried cranberries

Start by very coarsely chopping the pecans and almonds. I like to be able to identify the nuts in my granola, so I really just cut them in half or not at all. 

In a large bowl, combine the oats, chopped pecans, chopped almonds, and pepitas.

In a microwavable measuring cup, melt the coconut oil. Add the pumpkin puree, maple syrup, brown sugar, honey, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and salt and stir until combined. Add the water and mix well.

Pour the liquid over the oats and stir until all the oats are covered with some of the liquid. I start using a spoon, then I finish mixing with my hands to make sure everything is coated.

Pour the mixture evenly into 2 cookie sheets, spreading into an even layer.

Bake in a 250 degree oven for 40 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes.

After 40 minutes, raise the oven temperature to 300 degrees and bake 30 more minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Stir in the dried cranberries. 

Store in an airtight container.

Maple Pumpkin Yogurt

After I made my Pumpkin Cranberry Granola, I needed a way to serve it at a brunch I was having at my house for Christmas. Plain yogurt didn't seem very festive though. That's when I decided to borrow some of the flavors from the granola to dress up the yogurt and Maple pumpkin Yogurt was born. It's spicy creaminess is the perfect compliment and amplifies the flavors in the granola. Did I mention it takes about 30 seconds to make? Perfect! Here's what you'll need:

  • 1 large (@34 oz) container of Greek yogurt (I use Fage)
  • 1/2 C maple syrup
  • 1 TBL pumpkin pie spice

Put all ingredients in a bowl and stir until completely combined. Refrigerate until ready to serve. It's great with Maple Cranberry Granola.

Enjoy!

Lynn