Quark Cheesecake

This is a twist on the regular, widely-available cheesecake.  I find this more delicate with really interesting tangy-sweet flavor.  I make quark following a recipe from Three Shepherds Farm.  If you've never had quark, its a German fresh, soft cheese.  It reminds me of a cross between sour cream (texture) and cream cheese (taste).  From what friends tell me, you can also use farmer's cheese (although I've never tried it).  I've made this recipe with a few different crusts and prefer a thin graham cracker crust, or a shortbread crust (pictured).

Ingredients

crust of your choice (graham cracker, pie, shortbread, puff pastry...)

1 cup sugar

zest from 1 lemon

3 eggs, separate the yolks from the whites

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/3 cup milk

20 oz quark, whipped so that its creamy

1 tsp vanilla extract

pinch of sea salt

1.5 tbsp cornstarch

1 tbsp lemon juice

Directions

1.  Prepare your crust of choice in a 9 inch spring-foam pan.  Cool it in the pan and leave aside until Step 7.

2.  Rub the lemon zest into the sugar and let it sit while you measure out the rest of the ingredients.

3.  Using a mixer, beat the lemon-sugar and egg yolks in a large bowl until they become light in color and look creamy.

4.  Add the butter, milk, and vanilla extract and beat until uniform.  Add the quark and beat until uniform.

5.  In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt until it forms stiff peaks.6.  

Mix the lemon juice and corn starch (easier to mix if you sift it in) in to the quark filling.  Then, using a spatula, gently fold in the egg whites.

7.  Pour the quark filling into the cooled shell and level it off (do not bang it on the counter!).

8.  Bake at 300 F for approximately 1 hour and 15 mins - the top will be golden brown.  It will look puffed up, but will sink as it cools.

9.  Refrigerate at least 4 hours (I prefer overnight) before removing it from the pan.  Slice and enjoy!