It’s been almost a year since Son A jumped out of the proverbial nest and flew into his future. Looking back, Son A learned a few valuable life lessons, and set and accomplished a major goal.
Keep looking onward and upward.
On the way to Arizona, after watching hours of dry scrub-brush and seemingly endless freight trains pass by, Son A and I pulled into Van Horn, Texas. Van Horn is not known for anything in particular today. But back in the day, Van Horn was the last chance to top off gas tanks and have your wallets plundered before the long haul towards San Antonio. But in the past year, Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin company started sending up rockets just north of Van Horn. Its New Shepard rocket happened to launch the morning we drove through. At the time we were watching the contrails of New Shepard rising upward, Son A was watching his aviation career blast off. Jet Yard, an aircraft storage facility, originally enticed Son A to go out on his own. Here, Son A really learned why he needs to be mentally challenged in his jobs, and how to not treat people when he becomes a manager. He’s much happier now working for a regional commercial airlines.
Life gives you lemons. Throw them back!
Around New Year 2022, Son A decided to make some healthier lifestyle changes. He wasn’t happy with the weight he’d gained from our adventurous and indulgent eating habits. Climbing up into and contortioning around in small plane compartments wasn’t working out for our favorite big guy. His goal? Loose enough weight to go plummeting out of a perfectly good airplane. Wait?! What?!
Like all supportive parents, we encouraged him and even offered an incentive. If he lost the 50+ pounds, we’d take the plunge with him. We thought we had many months to wait. Years even. But no. Son A wasn’t waiting and lost his weight in record time…5 months!
Jumping tandem out an airplane at 10,000 feet is both terrifying and exhilarating. Most rational thinking people know what happens when a parachute doesn’t open. Fortunately, the guys we dropped out of the sky with were former Navy Seals or Army Rangers, so they knew a little something about parachuting. But free-falling belly-first wasn’t like the stomach dropping feel you get on a roller coaster. This was more like floating downward, really fast (about 120 mph), and getting a mouthful of air cotton. For me, the most amazing part of skydiving was the 360 degree view in all directions and feeling free. I think the guys would agree. We all would go again.
In honor of our favorite Flying Monkey’s accomplishments, and the Meyer lemon tree we hauled home from AZ, I’m sharing a tweaked Lemon Pie Cheesecake recipe I found on the WWW.
This creamy lemon cheesecake sits in a classic buttery graham crust. But what sends it over the top is the mash-up with lemon pie. Rich lemon curd and cloud-like meringue raise this traditional cheesecake up to the heavens. This refreshing dessert does take time to assemble, so I’ll be saving it for our next special occasion with Son A and B!
Lemon Meringue Cheesecake
When tangy lemon meringue pie meets creamy cheesecake, it’s a citrusy match made in heaven! This is definitely a special occasion dessert worthy of any milestone…like skydiving with your sons.
- Prep Time: 45 Minutes
- Cook Time: 1 Hour 30 Minutes
- Total Time: About 3 Hours
- Yield: One 9-Inch Cheesecake (About 12–14 Servings) 1x
Ingredients
For Graham Cracker Crust:
2–1/4 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
10 tbsp. butter, melted
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
For Cheesecake Filling:
3 blocks (24 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1–1/2 tbsp. vanilla
1 tbsp. lemon zest (about 2–3 medium sized lemons)
4 large eggs, at room temperature
For Lemon Curd Topping:
8 tbsp. lemon juice (3–4 medium lemons)
4 tsp. lemon zest (1–2 medium lemons)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
8 large egg yolks
1/4 cup butter
For Meringue Topping:
2 cups granulated sugar
1 tsp. cream of tarter
2 tsp. vanilla
8 large egg whites
Instructions
For Crust: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Spray the bottom and sides of the pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter in a bowl. Press into the bottom and up the sides of the prepared pan. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Allow crust to cool, then wrap the outside of the pan with aluminum foil. This keeps water out of the cheesecake. Set aside. Reduce oven to 300 degrees F.
For Cheesecake:. Using a standing or hand=held mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar and flour on low speed until smooth. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add the sour cream, vanilla and lemon zest. Mix on low until evenly combined. Add the eggs one at a time on low speed. Be sure each egg is evenly combined before adding the next. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Pour batter into the cooled crust. Tap the pan on the countertop to bring any air bubbles in the cheesecake to the surface.
Place the springform pan into a larger baking dish. Fill the outer pan with enough hot water to go about halfway up the side of the springform pan. Bake the cheesecake in the hot water bath for 1 hour and 15 minutes. The center of the cheesecake will be slightly jiggly.
Turn off the oven and allow the cheesecake to stay in the closed oven for an additional 30 minutes. The cheesecake will continue to cook, and cool at the same time. Crack the oven for another 30 minutes to let the cheesecake cool slowly. This process prevents the cheesecake from cracking. Remove the pans from the oven. Place the cheesecake in the refrigerator to cool completely as you make the Lemon Curd Topping.
For Lemon Curd Topping: Combine all ingredients in a double boiler over medium high heat. Stir constantly until the temperature of the curd reaches 170 to 180 degrees F on a candy thermometer. When done, the curd will coat the back of a spoon and leave a line when you run a finger through it. Pour the Lemon Curd over the cheesecake and spread evenly. Return the cheesecake to the refrigerator to cool completely until firm, about 6 hours.
For Meringue ToppIng:. In a large bowl, or standing mixer bowl, combine sugar, cream of tarter, vanilla and egg whites. Place over the same double boiler pan used for the lemon curd. Whisk the mixture constantly until the sugar is dissolved completely and egg whites reach 160 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Remove from the heat.
Using a standing or hand-held mixer, beat the egg white mixture on medium speed until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 5-7 minutes. Scoop the meringue onto the top of the cheesecake forming a dome and adding decorative peaks if desired. Toast the meringue with a kitchen torch or under the oven broiler.
Lemon Meringue Cheesecake is best eaten cold and within 4-5 days.
IMNPB
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