Lemon And Almond Cheesecake

CHEESE FILLING
2 tb White rum
2 tb Lemon juice
1 Envelope 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 white
1/2 c Sugar

-LEMON GLAZE-
2 tb Lemon juice
1/3 c Water
1 Envelope 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.

Yield: one 9-inch cheesecake