Lemon Swirl Cheesecake With Local Wild Blueberry Sauce

Chef Andrew King of Da Maurizio Restaurant in Halifax created this delectable dessert.


The lemon curd can be made one week ahead, covered and chilled. The crust (without filling) can be made one day ahead and kept, covered, at room temperature. The cheesecake can be chilled, loosely covered, for up to two days. It must be completely chilled before covering to prevent condensation on its surface.

Lemon Curd
5 ml (1 tsp) finely grated fresh lemon zest
125 ml ( 1/2 cup) fresh lemon juice
125 ml ( 1/2 cup) sugar
3 large eggs
50 ml ( 1/4 cup) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Crust
325 ml (1 1/3 cups) finely ground graham cracker crumbs
75 ml (1/3 cup) sugar
0.5 ml (1/8 tsp) salt
75 ml (5 tbsp) unsalted butter, melted

Filling
3 pkgs (each 250 g/8 oz) cream cheese, softened
250 ml (1 cup) sugar
3 large eggs
175 ml (3/4 cup) sour cream
5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla

Lemon Curd: In a 2-l (8-cup) heavy saucepan, whisk together zest, juice, sugar and eggs. Add butter and cook over moderately low heat, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of whisk and first bubbles appear on surface, about 6 minutes.
Force lemon curd through a fine-mesh sieve into a wide shallow dish, scraping bottom of sieve, then cover surface with wax paper. Let cool completely, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes.

Crust: Place oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 180 C (350 F). Invert bottom of 24-cm (9 to 9 1/2-inch) springform pan (to make it easier to slide cake off bottom), then lock on side.

In a bowl, stir together crust ingredients, then press onto bottom and 2.5 cm (1 inch) up side of springform pan. Place springform pan in a shallow baking pan and bake for 10 minutes, then cool crust completely in springform pan on a rack.

Filling: Reduce oven temperature to 150 C (300 F). In a bowl and using an electric mixer, beat together cream cheese and sugar at medium speed until smooth, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce speed to low and add eggs 1 at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat in sour cream and vanilla until combined.

Pour two-thirds of cream cheese filling into crust, then spoon half of lemon curd over filling and swirl curd into filling with a small knife. (Avoid touching crust with knife to prevent crumbs getting into filling.) Repeat with remaining filling and curd.

Bake cheesecake until set 4 cm (1 1/2 inches) from edge but centre trembles when pan is gently shaken, about 45 minutes. (Centre of cake will appear very loose but will continue to set as it cools.) Transfer springform pan to a rack and immediately run a knife around top edge of cake to loosen. Let cool completely, about 2 hours, then chill, uncovered, for at least 4 hours. Remove side of springform pan before serving.

Wild Blueberry Sauce

You can use frozen wild blueberries if fresh are not available.
500 ml (2 cups) fresh wild blueberries
50 ml ( 1/4 cup) sugar
15 ml (1 tbsp) lemon juice
15 ml (1 tbsp) cornstarch

In a medium saucepan, combine blueberries, sugar and lemon juice. Cook mixture over low heat, mashing blueberries slightly, for 2 to 3 minutes. In a small bowl, mix a little of the blueberry mixture with the cornstarch, then stir it into mixture in saucepan and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until sauce has reduced and slightly thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Serve warm over cooled cake.