Gâteau au fromage de Montréal - Montreal Cheese Cake

Gâteau au fromage de Montréal - Montreal Cheese Cake


From Epicure Magazine October 1981

Pastry:

1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1/2 cup (4 oz.) butter
1 egg yolk

Filling:

2 1/2 pounds cream cheese
1 tsp grated lemon rind
1/2 tsp.vanilla extract
3/4 cup honey
1 cup sugar
3 tbsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
5 eggs
2 egg yolks
1/4 cup whipping cream
toasted almond slivers and apricot preserve or honey to glaze and decorate.

To make the pastry combine the sugar, flour and lemon rind in a large bowl. With a pastry blender, two knives or food processor cut in the butter until the mixture resembles corn meal. Mix in the egg yolk with a fork. Squeeze the crumbs together into a ball.(Mixture will be crumbly.) Refrigerate for an hour or freeze for 20 minutes.

Grease the sides and bottom of a 9 inch (23cm) springform pan. Remove the sides from the pan. Spread 1/3 of the chilled pastry over the pan bottom. Use a rolling pin to flatten it to prevent puffing while baking. Place the pan bottom in a pre heated 400 degree oven and bake for 6 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool. Carefully reattach the sides to the pan. Roll the remaining pastry into 1 inch ropes. Press these on to the sides flattening and patting to form a lining about 2 inches deep. Refrigerate the pan while you make the filling.

Place the cream cheese in your mixer and beat until fluffy. Add the lemon rind and vanilla. Continue beating while adding the honey in a thin stream. Beat well. Combine the sugar, salt and flour and add to the batter a spoonful at a time while continuously beating. Beat in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time. Add the cream and beat well. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat again.

Pour the mixture into the pastry lined pan and bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 8 minutes then reduce the heat to 200 degrees and bake for an additional 2 1/2 to 3 hours until the cake is set. Turn the oven off and leave the cake in the oven with the door ajar to cool for 30 minutes.

Cool the cake on a wire rack for at least an additional hour. Place the pan on a large can or firm support and remove the sides of the pan. Transfer the cake still on the pan bottom to a serving tray and refrigerate.

Before serving glaze the cake with apricot preserves or honey and decorate with toasted almond slivers. If the cake cracks in the centre or separates from the pastry at the sides the almonds will cover this up. Serve chilled.