Crumb Apricot Cheesecake

INGREDIENTS

For the pastry:

• Flour-2½cups
• Butter- 1 cup/250 gr.
• Sugar- 1 cup
• Egg- 1
• Baking powder-1/2 tsp

For the filling:

• Apricots- 12
• Farmer’s Cheese (Tvorog)/Cream Cheese- 500 gr/16 oz
• Eggs -2
• Sugar- 1 cup
• Semolina- 2 tbsp.
• Vanilla bean/Vanilla extract- seeds from 1 vanilla bean/ 1 tsp.
• Ground Almonds ( for the topping)- ¼ cup

DIRECTIONS

1. In the food processor combine flour, cold butter, sugar and baking powder, pulse until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs, add the egg and pulse until just combined. (This could also be easily done in a regular bowl with a pastry blender.)
2. Take the pastry out of the food processor, it will be soft. Pinch off ⅓ of the pastry, wrap it in a plastic wrap and put in the freezer. Wrap the rest in the plastic wrap as well and put this portion in the fridge for 30 minutes.
3. Cut your apricots in half and pit them. Set aside.
4. Combine farmer’s cheese or cream cheese, eggs, sugar, semolina and vanilla bean seeds in a large bowl using a hand mixer until smooth or a food processor if you want your farmer’s cheese to be less grainy. ( I processed mine in the food processor for a silky consistency.)
5. When the pastry is finished chilling take it out of the fridge and roll it out to fit an 9″ springform pan lining the bottom and the sides all the way to the top. Don’t worry if your pastry tears, just take the overhanging pieces and patch up the holes! When your springform pan is lined all the way put it back in the fridge for 20 minutes.
6. Then take it out of the fridge and fill it with the cheese filling and top with apricots.
7. Grate the the frozen part of the pastry with a vegetable grater and toss your crumbs with ground almonds (optional).
8. Trim off your overhanging sides and press them gently in to blend with the crumb topping.
9. Put it in the preheated oven at 350F/180C and bake for 50 minutes or until golden.
10. Cool it for an hour until cool to the touch and then chill it in the refrigerator for at least 2 more hours to ensure the cheese filling in cooled completely.