1 c Flour
3/4 c Butter
2 Vanilla bean
1/2 c Milk
Sugar
3 Egg
1 c Poppy seeds
1 Lemon peel (grated)
Salt
12 oz Cream cheese
3/4 c Raisins (golden)
Brown sugar
In a mixing bowl, sift together 1 cup flour, 3 tbsp sugar, and 1/4 tsp
salt. With a pastry blender cut in 1/2 cup butter to make a mealy
mixture. With a fork mix in 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten. Press the
dough evenly over the bottom of a 9" springform pan and bake the
pastry in a moderate (350 F) oven for about 25 minutes, or until
golden brown. Set the pan on a wire rack and let cool. -
In a mixing bowl, beat 12 ounces of soft cream cheese until fluffy.
Scrape the seeds from 1 split vanilla bean [ed: a dash of vanilla
extract will do just fine] into the cheese and add 1/4 tsp of salt.
BEat 2 eggs with 1/2 cup sugar until they are thick and lemon
colored. Stir them into the cheese mixture, beating it until smooth.
Spread the micture over the pastry in the pan and bake in a 350 F
oven for 20 mintutes. [ed: or until it begins to golden] Let cool on
a wire rack. -
Whirl poppy seeds in a blender or foor processor until they are
reduced to a course powder. Measure 1 cup into a saucepan. Stir in
3/4 cup each of plumped golden raisins and sugar, 1/2 cup of milk,
the grated peel of one large lemon, and the seeds of 1 vanilla bean.
[ed: again, a dash of vanilla extract is fine]. Cook the mixture over
low heat, stirring frequently, for about 20 minutes, or until it is
thick but easy to spread. Let the mixture cool thoroughly and spread
it over the cooled cheesecake.
~ Mix together 6 tbsp of flour, 6 tbsp of brown sugar, and cut in 1/4
cup of butter with a pastry blender to make coarse crumbs. Sprinkle
the crumbs over the poppy seed layer. Set the cheesecake under a
broiler about 6 inches from the heat and broil for 3 minutes, or
until the streusel topping is browned and crisp. - Cool the
cheesecake completely. It can be chilled, but let it return to room
temperature before serving. --
Gourmet, March 1967
