Red Currant Bakery

Graham Cracker Crust
0 Preheat the oven to 350º F and place a rack in the center of the oven.
2 Crumple a large square of parchment paper and then press it into a 7" springform pan.
3 Add the graham crackers into a blender or food processor to blend until they become a fine powder.
4 Add the soft butter, sugar, salt and vanilla into a medium mixing bowl and stir to combine.
5 Pour in the ground graham crackers and use a fork to combine. If the mixture is too warm and squishy, simply put it in the fridge for a few minutes to allow the butter to firm up.
6 Press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of the lined pan and press down into an even layer. If you want it to go up the sides, you'll need to double the crust and press it up the sides.
7 Chill the pan and crust in the fridge while you make the filling.
Lemon Cheesecake Filling
9 In a large mixing bowl, add in the cornstarch, salt, and sugar. Whisk to combine and then pour in the quark. Use a rubber spatula to stir the mixture together.
10 Add the greek yogurt and vanilla extract to the bowl and stir again. Finally add in the eggs, lemon zest and lemon juice and whisk once more.
11 Carefully pour the filling into the pressed crust.
12 Bake the cheesecake for 30 minutes, then rotate the pan 180º and bake for another 30-35 minutes until just slightly wobbly.
13 Once baked, remove the cheesecake from the oven and leave to cool on a rack until it is room temperature. Then, move it to the fridge and allow it to set fully before removing the springform pan.
14 Leave to set in the fridge for at least 6 hours or up to overnight.
Lemon Curd
16 The curd and meringue use the same three eggs, the egg yolks are for the curd and the whites are for the meringue.
17 That being said the curd can be made the same time as the cheesecake but I would wait to make the meringue until day of or just before serving. The egg whites can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use.
20 In a large metal bowl or the top portion of a double boiler, add in the egg yolks, sugar, salt, lemon zest and lemon juice. Whisk to combine.
21 Add about 2″ of water into a sauce pan or the bottom of the double boiler. Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to low so that it maintains a simmer.
22 Place the bowl with the egg and lemon mixture over the pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly, cooking the mixture until it thickens. It’s done when the mixture is thick like mayo, essentially when you stop whisking the mixture should stop moving, it will sort of just firm up.
23 Once thick, immediately remove the bowl from the pot of water and turn off the heat.
24 Add the cold mascarpone into the hot curd, one spoonful at a time. Whisk one spoonful of mascarpone into the lemon curd until completely dissolved before adding in the next spoonful.
25 Continue adding the mascarpone in until it is all used up.
26 Pour the mixture through a sieve into a large shallow bowl and place a piece of plastic onto the surface. Place the bowl in the fridge until cold and thick.
Meringue
19 In a large metal mixing bowl (or the bowl portion of a double boiler) add in the egg whites, a pinch of salt, and white granulated sugar.
27 In a separate pot (or the bottom of a double boiler) add in two inches of water. Bring the water to a gentle simmer and then turn the heat to low to keep it simmering. *this can be the same pot as the one you used for the curd!
28 Place the mixing bowl over the simmering water and whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved into the egg whites. Check to make sure that the mixture is done cooking by rubbing some of it between your fingers and feeling if the sugar has fully dissolved. If it is fully dissolved, turn off the heat and remove the bowl from the pot.
29 Allow the mixture to cool for 5-10 minutes. Use an electric mixer to whip the meringue on high speed until almost stiff peaks form. We’re going for a s’mores marshmallowy kind of texture.
30 Ideally use it immediately but it can also be stored in a bowl in the fridge for a couple hours.
Assemble
32 Top the chilled cheesecake with a thick layer of lemon curd - you will have extra but you can put it on literally anything!
33 Then scoop the fluffy meringue over the lemon curd. If you have a torch, torch the meringue until nice and toasty.
34 Slice into 8 and serve immediately after torching.