CRUST:

1 c. sifted all purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. softened butter
1 tbsp. grated lime peel
1 beaten egg yolk
1 tsp. fresh lime juice

Combine flour, sugar, and butter with pastry blender to make coarse crumbs. With a fork, mix in peel, egg yolk and juice. Dough will have paste like consistency. Cover bottom of a 9 inch springform pan with one third of crust mixture, making the layer 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Bake at 400 degrees until slightly brown, about 6 to 8 minutes. Attach side of pan around cooled bottom; spread crust with remaining dough to a height of 2 inches.

FILLING:

40 oz. cream cheese (five 8 ounce packages)
1 c. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
6 eggs

In large bowl, combine softened cream cheese, lime juice, vanilla, sugar, flour, salt and eggs. Beat until smooth. Pour filling into dough lined pan. Bake at 450 degrees 12 minutes. Reduce heat to 300 degrees; bake until center of the cheesecake doesn't wiggle when pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour. Remove cake from oven; cool. Release spring on the outside rim after 1 hour cooling time, but do not remove sides. Loosening the spring will help to prevent the cake from "cracking, " but if you remove rim, cake will not hold its shape. Chill cake several hours before serving. (Cake develops the best flavor if allowed to chill overnight.)

TOPPING:

For topping; separate one stem of leatherleaf fern down the middle rib to give tiny "fernettes." Arrange the point of each "fernette" pointing towards the outside edge of the top of cheesecake. Arrange 7 lime slices in the center of the ferns; reserve one lime for the top of the alternating slices.