Australian Cheesecake (adopted)

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs ((aussies can use nice or marie biscuits instead)
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted (do not substitute margarine.)
• 1/4 cup sugar, granulated
• 1 lb cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar, granulated
• 3 large eggs, separated
• 1/4 cup unbleached flour
• 1 teaspoon lemon, rind of, grated
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons passion fruit

Recipe

• 1 note: prebaked crusts are much crisper than the chilled ones and this can be important if you want a crisp crust.
• 2 crust: if you are prebaking the shell, preheat the oven to 350 degrees f.
• 3 place the crumbs in a mixing bowl and add the butter and sugar blending well.
• 4 press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of an 8-inch springform pan.
• 5 smooth the mixture to form an even layer on the bottom and sides.
• 6 bake the crust in the oven for 10 minutes and let cool to room temperature before filling.
• 7 note: this crust can be chilled for 5 to 10 minutes in the freezer until it is set but is not recommended in this recipe.
• 8 cheesecake: preheat the oven to 300 degrees f.
• 9 in a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and sugar until light and fluffy.
• 10 add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each.
• 11 beat in the flour, lemon rind, lemon juice, and vanilla until just mixed.
• 12 whip the cream until stiff in a medium mixing bowl.
• 13 set aside.
• 14 in another mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then fold them into the cheese mixture.
• 15 fold in the reserved whipped cream.
• 16 stir in the passion fruit pulp then pour the mixture into the prepared crust and bake fro 45 minutes to 1 hour.(i strained out the seeds, but that is a personal preference).
• 17 cool, in the oven, to room temperature, then chill.