Pastry Chef Elissa Narow

Pastry Chef Elissa Narow of Custom House and Spring – Chicago, IL
Adapted by StarChefs.com

Yield: 20 Portions

Ingredients:

Cheesecake:
• 1 pound soft cream cheese
  
• ½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
  
• Zest of 3 Meyer lemons
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 1 egg yolk
  
• 1 ounce crème fraiche
  
• 1½ ounce Meyer lemon juice
  
• 1¾ teaspoons flour
  
  Crust:
  
• 8 ounces butter
  
• 2/3 cup powdered sugar
  
• ¼ teaspoon salt
  
• Zest of 2 lemons
  
• 2 cups all purpose flour 
  
  Rosemary Dust:
  
• Rosemary leaves
  
• Powdered sugar
  
  Lemon Rosemary Sorbet:
  
• 2 large sprigs rosemary
  
• 1 quart lemon juice
  
• 2 cups water
  
• ½ cup simple syrup
  
• 1 egg
  
  Beurre Blanc Sauce:
  
• 1 cup Meyer lemon juice
  
• ¾ cup sugar
  
• 4 ounces butter
  
  To Assemble and Serve:
  
• Sugared Meyer lemon segments
  
• Candied Meyer lemon zest
  
• Soda water

Method:
For the Cheesecake:
The night before, beat cream cheese, sugar, and lemon zest in an electric mixer with a paddle attachment until sugar is dissolved. Add eggs and yolk one at a time until incorporated, scraping down the bowl between each addition. Add crème fraiche and lemon juice. Mix in flour. Let set overnight in a chilled place.

For the Crust:
Combine butter, sugar, salt, zest and flour. Prehat oven to 300°F and bake until set. Transfer to food processor and crumble. Press into a thin layer in a tart ring and bake in oven for 6 minutes or until light brown. Remove ring from oven and fill to top with Cheesecake filling. Transfer to oven with a hotel pan filled with water at the bottom. Bake for 12-15 minutes, remove from oven, and chill.

For the Rosemary Dust:
Grind rosemary with powdered sugar in a spice grinder.

For the Lemon Rosemary Sorbet:
Combine rosemary, lemon juice, and water in a blender. Strain and mix with simple syrup. Add egg to adjust consistency and taste as necessary. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to instructions.

For the Beurre Blanc:
Combine juice with sugar and reduce by half. Remove from heat and whisk in butter. Reserve warm.

To Assemble and Serve:
Plate cheesecake and top with Beurre Blanc, sugared Meyer lemon segments and candied Meyer lemon zest. Fill a shot glass with Lemon Rosemary Sorbet and top with soda water. Serve dish with shot glass on the side.

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