Individual Lemon Cheesecakes

This recipe was adapted from a recipe on www.joyofbaking.com.  This yummy Lemon Cheesecake was our submission to Gluten-Free Wednesdays.  Hope you enjoy it!

CRUST:
1 cup Gluten-Free grahm cracker crumbs (I put in a zipper bag and roll with a rolling pin to crush)
1 tablespoon sugar
5 tablespoons melted butter.

Combing the above.  Pres into 4 Mini Tart pans or 8 cups of a paper lined muffin pan.  Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling.

FILLING:
1 8-ounce package full fat cream cheese at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
pinch salt
1 large eggs at room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup sour cream

In a bowl of your electric mixer beat the cream chees on low speed until creamy and smooth.  Add the sugar and salt and beat until combined, scraping the bowl as needed.  Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each.  Add the vanilla and sour cream, beating until incorporated.  Remove the crusts from the refrigerator and evenly divide the filling among the tart or muffin pans.

LEMON CURD:

3 large eggs
3/4 up sugar
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon finely shredded lemon zest (since I did not have organic lemons I omitted this)

In a stainless steel bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water (or a double boiler, if you have one), whisk together the eggs, sugar, ad lemon juice until blended.  Cook stirring constantly to prevent curdling, until the mixture becomes thick like sour cream.  This will take around 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and immediately pour through a fine strainer to remove any lumps.  Cut the butter into small pieces and shisk into the mixture until the butter has melted.  Add the lemon zest and cover immediately to prevent a skin from forming.  Let cool until it is of pouring consistantly.

This lemon curd is delish served over blueberry scones!

TO SERVE:

Once the cheesecakes have bee chilled, pour a heaping tablespoon or more on top of each cheesecake.  Gently smooth the curd to form an eve layer.  Cover and return to the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.  To serve, gently remove the paper liners.  The ceesecakes can be stored for several days in the refrigerator.