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1
To make the crust: Butter a 10- x 2-inch springform pan with 1 tablespoon butter. Seal the outside of the pan with foil. Put the wafers and sugar in the workbowl of a food processor and process to crumbs. Melt the remaining butter and process it into the crumbs. (Crumbs may also be made by putting wafers between 2 sheets of waxed paper and crushing them with a rolling pin. Transfer to a bowl and mix in sugar and melted butter.).
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2
Press crumb mixture evenly over bottom of prepared pan.
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3
Prepare the filling: Grate 1 tablespoon of lemon zest and squeeze 3/4 cup lemon juice; set aside separately.
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4
Separate eggs. Whip the egg whites to soft peaks. gradually add 1/4 cup sugar while whipping whites to firm peaks; reserve.
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5
Put cream cheese in another bowl and, without needing to wash the beaters, beat until smooth. Gradually add 1-1/4 cups sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
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6
Add flour, egg yolks, lemon juice, and zest and beat until smooth, 1 minute.
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7
Fold egg whites thoroughly into lemon batter.
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8
Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 325 degrees.
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9
Pour batter into prepared springform pan. Put springform in a baking dish just large enough to contain it. Put dish in oven and add hot tap water to come 1 inch up the side.
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10
Bake until cake is set and golden, 55 to 65 minutes. Transfer pan to a rack; cool. Cover cake and refrigerte until chilled, at least 4 hours. Cake may be refrigerated 3 days or frozen one month.
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11
To serve: Heat a knife with hot water and wipe dry. Run knife along the edge of cake to loosen. Carefully remove pan rim. Slice cake, heating and wiping knife each time. Garnish slices of cake with Candied Lemon Zest (optional).
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12
To make Candied Lemon Zest: Using a floating blade vegetable peeler, carefully peel zest from 1 lemon. Trim zest into narrow strips about 2 inches long. Put zest in a small nonreactive saucepan with water to cover and boil for 5 minutes Drain and rinse with cold water.
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13
Bring 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup light corn syrup, and 1/3 cup water to boil in saucepan. Remove from heat, stir in zest, and let stand 30 minutes. Bring liquid back to a boil and let stand another 30 minutes. Using a fork, remove strips from the syrup and transfer to a wire rack set over a pan to catch the drippings. Discard the syrup.
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14
Put 1/2 cup sugar on a plate. Roll strips in sugar.(May be stored at room temperature 1 week.) Makes enough to garnish 1 Lemon Mousse Cheesecake. (You may double the amount of lemon zest used in this recipe -- without doubling syrup ingredients, to have extra Candied Lemon Zest on hand for other garnishing purposes -- or even for a nippy nibble!).
