YUZU CHEESECAKE WITH ORANGE MARMALADE TART

Methods and Directions

• Blend cream cheese and sugar together in a food processor or with a medium-speed electric mixer until smooth.
• Add eggs one at a time, blending well after each addition.
• Add soured cream and yuzu juice. Blend well.
• Pour the filling over the sable crust evenly.

• Sift the flour and baking powder together and set aside.
• Working in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter until it is soft and smooth. Add the sugar in a slow, steady stream, followed by the salt, and continue to beat, scraping the bowl when needed, for about 3 minutes or until the mixture is light, pale and fluffy.
• Add the yolks and beat to incorporate. At this point the mixture should be light, creamy and satiny. Remove the bowl from the mixer and working with a large rubber spatula fold in the sifted dry ingredients taking special care not to overwork the dough.
• Divide the dough in half. On a smooth surface, such as marble, mould each half into a log with a diameter of about 1 ½ inches. The dough is going to be baked inside muffin tins, so you might have to adjust the thickness of the logs to the size of the tins/moulds. Wrap each log in a double thickness of plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours.
• Use a knife to cut the thickness of the dough. Lay in the muffin tins or a dome silpat. Bake it at 160°C for 15-18 minutes or till lightly golden around the edges.
• Centre a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 165°C. Put the sable in to bake, pour in the yuzu cheesecake mixture to bake. Requires approximately 8-10 minutes.
• Remove from the mould and let it cool on a wire rack.

• Wash and dry the oranges. Use a sharp vegetable peeler or paring knife to remove the brightly coloured zest – and only the brightly coloured zest – from the oranges. Be sure to leave behind any and all of the white pith directly underneath, it is very bitter. Chop the resulting zest – bigger pieces for chunkier marmalade, ribbon-like strips for a more spreadable result. Set zest aside.
• Cut the ends off the zested oranges and then, working with one orange at a time, cut off the thick white pith from around each orange. Working over a bowl to catch the juices, hold a fully peeled orange and use a sharp knife to cut out each section from the membrane holding the sections together.
• Squeeze any juice out of the membrane once you’ve cut out all the fruit. Set the membrane aside, along with any seeds – the pectin in these will help “set” the marmalade later. Combine the zest, fruit, juice, 4 cups of water, and sugar in a large heavy pot and bring to a boil.
• Meanwhile, lay a double layer of cheesecloth in a medium-sized bowl and put membranes and seeds in the bowl. Lift the corners and tie the cheesecloth into a bag to hold the membranes and seeds. Add this “pectin bag” to the pot. While the mixture comes to a boil, put a canning kettle full of water on to boil if you’re planning to can the marmalade. In any case, put a few small plates in the freezer to chill them. When the water boils, use it to sterilize the jars and lids.
• Bring marmalade to 220°F and hold it there for 5 minutes. Be patient, this can take quite awhile. Put a dollop of the mixture on a chilled plate, swirl the plate to spread the mixture a bit, and drag your finger through the mixture. A set mixture will hold a clean track behind your finger.
• Remove pectin bag, squeeze out any marmalade in it back into the pot before discarding the bag. Take the marmalade off the heat and let sit 5 minutes. Set up clean jars next to the pot.
• Stir marmalade to distribute the zest evenly. Use a ladle to transfer the marmalade into the jars, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace at the top of each jar. Put lids on the jars.