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Lindy's Cheesecake

Source of Recipe

From "Saveur: The New Comfort Food"


Recipe Introduction

This cheesecake, a favorite at the Manhattan delicatessen Lindy's, can be put together almost entirely in the food processor, which means it's not only easy to make but also remarkably smooth and light in texture. The shortbread crust tastes of butter, lemon, and vanilla scraped straight from the bean; the airy filling is flecked with lemon and orange zest; and a blast in a very hot oven gives the top a golden color.

List of Ingredients

For the Crust:
◦  2 cups flour
◦  ¼ cup sugar
◦  1 teaspoon lemon zest
◦  ¼ teaspoon salt
◦  1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped and reserved
◦  8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch cubes
◦  2 tablespoons vegetable oil
◦  1 egg yolk

For the Filling:
◦  2½ pounds cream cheese, softened
◦  1¼ cups sugar
◦  3 tablespoons flour
◦  1½ teaspoons lemon zest
◦  1½ teaspoons orange zest
◦  ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
◦  5 eggs plus 2 egg yolks
◦  ¼ cup heavy cream


Recipe

Make the crust:
Heat the oven to 400° F. Combine flour, sugar, lemon zest, salt, and vanilla seeds in a food processor and pulse until evenly incorporated. Add butter and pulse until pea-size crumbles form, about 10 pulses. Add oil and egg yolk and pulse until a dough forms. Press dough into the bottom and halfway up the side of a 9-inch springform pan; refrigerate for about 30 minutes. Bake until golden brown at the edges and set, 15 minutes; transfer to a wire rack and let cool.

Make the filling:
Preheat the oven to 500° F. Combine cream cheese, sugar, flour, zests, and vanilla in a food processor and process until very smooth, about 1 minute. Add eggs and yolks one at a time, processing 10 seconds after each addition, until smooth; stir in cream. Pour filling into crust (filling will come over the crust), set on a baking sheet, and bake until top is deep golden brown, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 200° F and bake for 1 hour more. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely to room temperature. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.

Remove cake from pan and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour to soften slightly. Cut cake into slices and serve.


Makes one 9-inch cheesecake