First, my grandmother's cheese cake. She was Alsatian and came to the United States after her marriage in 1890, bringing her scale and recipes with her. You'll find this cake much lighter than the usual cream cheese cake. It's also more temperamental than the usual one. No roller skating through the house or banging and clanging while it's being made.

Crush the graham crackers. Melt the butter and drizzle over the crackers. Add the sugar and stir again. Reserve 1/4 cup of this mixture.

Press the crumbs into a buttered 9" loose bottomed cake pan.

Put the cottage cheese through a sieve. Combine it with the sugar, flour, salt and egg yolks. Add the milk, vanilla and lemon rind.

Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry and carefully fold them into the cheese mixture. Gently push the mixture into the cake pan. Sprinkle the top of the cake with the reserved cracker crumbs. Dot with 1 tablespoon butter.

Bake in a quiet house, on a sunny day, in a 350 degree oven. Bake for 30 minutes or until the cake is set (test by gently shaking the cake pan).

Makes 10 to 12 servings.