I wanted to make a citrus cheesecake for the Valentine's Day Virtual Dinner and decided to look around at recipes since I usually just make modifications to my normal New York style cheesecake. I found several citrus recipes but they all were smaller ones made with only a pound of cheese. For Valentines I wanted something more decadent. I found this classic recipe on Food Network and modified it to make it citrus. I had planned to make some lemon curd for the top so I skipped the sour cream top, but ended up eating it plain and it was anything but plain. Came out really good so here is the recipe.Also, instead of just zest I used the juice from the Meyer Lemon and the lime. I also added a tablespoon of cornstarch to make up for the added juice. FoodNetwork.com Classic Cheesecake From Food Network Kitchens Prep Time: 15 min Inactive Prep Time: 8 hr 0 min Cook Time: 1 hr 10 min Level: Intermediate Serves: 8 to 10 servings This is a classic cheesecake -- velvety, rich, sweet and so satisfying. We are major fans of a thin sour cream cap on top of cheesecakes; it's the perfect balance to this rich cake. Ingredients Crust: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs 2 tablespoons granulated sugar Pinch fine salt Filling: 2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 1 1/4 cups sour cream 6 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 tablespoon vanilla paste (see cook's note) or extract 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest [used zest from 1 Meyer lemon] 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest [zest from half an orange] [added zest from 1 lime also] As said above I added the juice from the lemon and lime plus a tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in the juices. Topping: 3/4 cup sour cream 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar 1/4 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract Berries, optional Directions Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. For the crust: Melt the butter, covered in the microwave, in a medium microwave safe bowl, or a saucepan. Brush a 9-inch spring form pan with some of the butter. Stir the remaining butter together with the crumbs, sugar, and salt. Press the crumb mixture over the bottom of the pan, taking care to get the crust evenly into the edges. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool. Wrap the bottom and up the sides of the pan with foil and put in a roasting pan. For the filling: Beat the cream cheese on medium speed with a hand-held mixer until smooth. Add the granulated sugar and beat just until light and fluffy, scraping the sides of the bowl and beaters as needed. Slowly beat in the sour cream, then eggs, vanilla and both citrus zests; take care not to over whip. Pour into the cooled crust. Bring a medium saucepan or kettle of water to a boil. Gently place the roasting pan in the oven (don't pull the rack out of the oven). Pour in enough hot water to come about halfway up the side of the springform pan. Bake the cheesecake for about 1 hour and 10 minutes---the outside of the cake will set but the center will still be loose.[Mine took almost 1hour and a half] For the topping: Stir together the sour cream, confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Spread over the top of the cooked cheesecake and return to the oven for 5 minutes. Turn the oven off, cook the cheesecake in the residual heat in the oven for about1 hour. This gentle finish minimizes the risk of the dreaded crack in your cheesecake. Remove cheesecake from the roasting pan to a rack. Run a knife around the edges and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight. Bring cheesecake to room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Remove the springform ring. Dip a knife in warm water, wipe dry before slicing each piece. Serve with berries, if desired. Notes We love vanilla bean paste. It has intense vanilla bean flavor in a convenient paste form. It's a great way to add great flavor and distinctive vanilla flecks without having to use a whole bean. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My note: Do let it set in refrigerator for time suggested. It's a very creamy cheesecake.

Thank you both soooo much. I haven't checked out the ginger thread yet but the Hawaiian stir fry sounds very good. I've not tried ginger in my tea yet but am going to try it today. I know ginger is very good for you so thanks to Georgy I'll be healthy at least. Will post my Chicken Country Captain on the March thread. It was very good.

Hey gibby! What I do is buy 4 portions of Halibut with the skin still on the fillet, so I only put the "crust" on the side opposite the skin. Then when I am cooking it, I sear it on the "crust" side (without moving it so the crust stays on and forms an actual crust) until the crust is golden and crunchy, then I flip it to the skin side and continue cooking until it is cooked through. I serve it skin side down, so the crunchy crust is on top with the citrus butter. Does that help? Alexa

Blanching is no biggie....just dunk into boiling water and when the water reboils, remove and dunk into a bowl of icewater for a couple of minutes, bag it and freeze. If I am blanching several things...I keep a bowl nest to the stove, pull the steamer basket out of the boiling water and into the bowl of ice water.....2 minutes, dump the veggie in the steamer basket to drain and the basket gets filled and into the pot which is boiling, add more ice to the cold bowl....and so on. The reason you blanch before freezing is to stop the enzyme action that makes the cauliflower...or broccoli spoil...they say. but I freeze whole ears of corn without blanching....and tomatoes....and grapes... Hmmmmm...???