Alice's Key Lime Cheesecake

My favorite dessert at this year's Souper Bowl was Alice's Key Lime Cheesecake. Her presentation was beautiful and the flavor was a perfect blend of sweet and tart. This is not a quick and easy recipe, but is well worth the effort.

Alice’s Key Lime Cheesecake

5 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons sugar, plus 1 1/4 cups, plus 1/4 cup

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 envelope unflavored gelatin

3/4 cup key lime juice

4 eggs, at room temperature

2 egg yolks, at room temperature

2 tablespoons grated key lime zest

1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature 2 egg whites, at room temperature

Pinch of salt

2 cups sweetened whipped cream

1 cup simple syrup, (1 cup sugar, 1 cup water heated until sugar dissolves)

Rind of 2 limes, julienned

12 sprigs fresh mint

In a mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, 2 tablespoons of the sugar and graham cracker crumbs. Mix well. Press the crust firmly over the bottom of a 9-inch spring form pan. Set aside.
In a saucepan dissolve the gelatin the key lime juice, about 5 minutes. Add 1 1/4 cups of the sugar, eggs, egg yolks, and lime zest. Mix well. Over medium heat, cook until the mixture thickens and is pudding like, about 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese until smooth. With the mixer running, add the lime mixture slowly and beat until smooth. Remove the mixture and turn into a bowl and cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, stirring every 10 minutes.

In a bowl of an electric mixer with a whip attachment, place the egg whites and remaining 1/4 cup of the sugar. Whip on medium high until stiff peaks form. Remove the lime and cheese mixture from the refrigerator. Fold the egg whites into the lime mixture and blend thoroughly. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, about 4 hours.

Remove from the refrigerator. Run a sharp knife along the sides of the pan and remove the spring-form. Spread the whipped cream evenly over the top of the cake.

For the candied zest: In a saucepan over medium heat, combine the simple syrup and the lime zest. Bring the liquid to a simmer and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the zest from the liquid and cool on parchment paper.

Cut the cake into individual servings. Garnish with candied lime zest and mint sprigs.