Lemon And Almond Cheesecake

ALMOND DOUGH BASE
1/2 c Flour
1/2 c Ground almonds
2 tb Sugar
1 pn Salt
3 tb Butter; unsalted
1 Egg yolk
1 ts Vanilla extract

CHEESE FILLING
2 tb White rum
2 tb Juice, lemon
1 tb Unflavored gelatin
1 1/2 lb Cream cheese; without
Vegetable gum, softened
1/2 c Cream
4 Egg whites
2/3 c Sugar

-SUGARED ALMONDS-
1 c Blanched sliced almonds
1 tb Egg whites
1/2 c Sugar

-LEMON GLAZE-
2 tb Juice, lemon
1/3 c Water
1 tb Gelatin
2/3 c Apple jelly
1 dr Yellow food coloring

For the dough, mix dry ingredients in a bowl and rub in butter with
fingertips until very fine, but still cool and powdery. Whisk egg and
vanilla and stir into dough with a fork. Press dough together in bowl
and turn into a buttered 9-inch spring form pan. With floured
fingertips, press dough evenly into pan bottom. Dock dough with a
fork and bake at 350 degrees about 15 minutes, until golden. Cool the
base in the pan.

For the filling, combine the rum and lemon juice in a bowl and
sprinkle the gelatin on the surface. Allow to soak for 5 minutes,
then place the bowl over a small pan of gently simmering water to
melt the gelatin, about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove the bowl from the pan
and cool the gelatin slightly.

Beat the cream cheese by machine until it is soft and light, scraping
the bowl and beaters often. Beat in the cream smoothly. Set aside the
cream cheese mixture. Combine the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of
an electric mixer and heat over simmering water, whisking constantly
until the egg whites are hot and the sugar is dissolved. Beat on
mixer with whip until cold and firm. Beat 1/4 of the cream cheese
mixture into the dissolved gelatin, then beat the gelatin mixture
into the remaining cream cheese. Fold in the meringue. Pour the
filling into the prepared pan and refrigerate to set, about 6 hours
or overnight.

For the almonds, combine almonds and egg white in a roasting pan and
rub between palms of hands to coat evenly. Add sugar and stir in.
Bake at 325 degrees about 20 minutes, stirring often, until well
toasted and sugar has caramelized slightly. Cool and store in a tin
or jar at room temperature.

For glaze, combine juice, water and gelatin and allow to soak. Bring
jelly to a boil and add gelatin mixture; bring to a boil and remove
from heat. Cool and pour onto chilled cheesecake. Unmold cheesecake
and press sugared almonds around side.

Nutritional information per serving: xx calories, xx gm protein, xxx
mg cholesterol, xx gm carbohydrate, xxx mg sodium, x gm fiber, xx gm
fat (x gm sat, x gm mono, x gm poly), x mg iron, xx mg calcium, xx%
of calories from fat.