Lemon-Swirled Cheesecake - Crust???

[Nanci]

Can I make this recipe without a foodprocessor? Any ideas on how to make the crust? I realize I could do my own graham cracker crust, but . . . I am a stickler for at least trying the recipe once before I start modifying it. Please help especially everyone who said they don't have a foodprocessor (see thread on food processors).

* Exported from MasterCook *
Lemon-Swirled Cheesecake
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 16 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Cheese/Dairy Desserts

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
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Crust:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons butter or margarine -- chilled and cut small pieces
1 tablespoon ice water
cooking spray
Filling:
24 ounces fat-free cream cheese -- (3-8 oz. blocks), softened
16 ounces 1/3- less-fat cream cheese -- (2- 8 oz. blocks) softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 large eggs
1 cup lemon curd
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
To prepare the crust, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup, and level witha knife. Place 2/3 cup flour and 2 tablespoons sugar in a food processor; pulse 2 times or until combined. Add chilled butter; pulse 6 times oruntil mixture resembles coarse meal. With processor on, slowly pour ice water through food chute, processing just until blended (do not allow dough to form a ball). Firmly press mixture into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes; cool on a wire rack.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
To prepare the filling, beat cheeses at high speed of a mixer until smooth. Add 1 3/4 cups sugar and the next 4 ingredients (1 3/4 cups sugar through salt); beat well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Pour the cheese mixture into prepared pan. Spoon mounds of Lemon Curd over filling, and swirl together using the tip of a knife. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until cheesecake is almost set. Remove cheesecake from oven, and cool to room temperature. Cover and chill for at least 8 hours. Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 slice).
CALORIES 310 (33% from fat); FAT 11.4g (sat 6.4g, mono 3.5g, poly 0.6g); PROTEIN 12.2g; CARB 39g; FIBER 0.2g; CHOL 126mg; IRON 0.7mg; SODIUM 458mg; CALC 155mg
Source:
"Cooking Light May issue, page 202"
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Both were perfectly cooked at 1 hr 15 min. If you're having problems, buy an inexpensive oven thermometer and test the temp. Different areas of your oven can vary too.

* Exported from MasterCook *
Lemon Curd
Recipe By :
Serving Size : 0 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Jams/Spreads/Jellies
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
2 large eggs
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter or stick margarine
Combine the first 3 ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Cook until sugar dissolves and mixture is light in color (about 3 minutes). Stir in lemon juice and butter; cook for 5 minutes or until mixture thinly coats the back of a spoon, stirring constantly with a whisk. Cool. Cover and chill (the mixture will thicken as it cools). Yield: 1 1/3 cups (serving size: 1 tablespoon).
Note: Lemon Curd can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can easily double the recipe and freeze half of it in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag. Thaw in the refrigerator, and use within 1 week of thawing.
Source:
"Cooking Light, May 2000, Page 133"
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Per serving: 756 Calories (kcal); 9g Total Fat; (10% calories from fat); 12g Protein; 166g Carbohydrate; 374mg Cholesterol; 114mg Sodium
Food Exchanges: 0 Grain(Starch); 1 1/2 Lean Meat; 0 Vegetable; 1 Fruit; 1 Fat; 10 Other Carbohydrates

Thanks!!!

Nanci

[This message has been edited by Nanci (edited 10-27-2000).]

[Gail]

How did we ever survive without food processors? We used a pastry blender or in lieu of that a couple of forks. It's really quite similar to making a pie crust. Another unconventional way would be similar to doing a mixer pie crust. Put your dry ingredients into a small bowl and stir 'em together to mix. Add your butter and mix with a hand mixer for 10 seconds; then drizzle in your water and mix for another 15 seconds, until the contents of the both have that coarse grain consistency. As with the food processor, this should be quick business and you don't want to overbeat.

[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 10-27-2000).]

[sneezles]

I agree with Gail. In fact, I have a processor but prefer to do crusts with the pastry blender. I made the original crust when I made this cheesecake and my only complaint was that it shrunk too much. I didn't use the pie beads because the recipe didn't call for it but next time I would or make a bit more crust because it leaked for awhile when I first put the cake into bake.

[Kerri]

I used a knife and a spoon to cut the butter until the mixture "resembled coarse meal." I have used this technique in other places, most recently in the apple crips. That worked fine for me, but I have never had it any other way.

[Nanci]

Thank you so much for the advise. I will give it a try this weekend. Thanks sneezles -- I'll make a little extra in the hope that it doesn't leak.