Ingredients

Graham Cracker crust (recipe follows)
Melted unsalted butter for the pan
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese
5 large eggs
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
5 fluid ounces heavy cream ( 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons)

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Coat a 10-inch pan with a light film of softened butter and line with parchment paper.
Press graham cracker crust into an even layer. Bake at 350 F for about 7 minutes, or until light golden brown. Sift together sugar and cornstarch.
Cream together sugar mixture and cream cheese using an electric mixer with a paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth. Combine eggs, egg yolks, vanilla and lemon zest and add one-fourth of mixture at a time, fully incorporating and scraping down sides of the bowl after each addition.
Add heavy cream, scraping down sides of the bowl as necessary. Pour batter into pan. Bake in a water bath in a 300 F oven until center is set, 60 to 90 minutes. (Water-bath baking consists of placing a container of food in a large, shallow pan of warm water.) Refrigerate cakes overnight. Unmold and serve. Makes 12 servings.

Variation: To make a marble cheesecake, prepare batter and fill pan as directed above, reserving 1/2 cup of batter. Add 2 ounces melted chocolate to reserved batter. Pipe chocolate batter into cake and swirl in.

Graham Cracker Crust

8 ounces graham crackers
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions

Process graham crackers and sugar in a food processor until crackers are finely ground. Add melted butter and pulse until just incorporated. Makes crust for one 10-inch cake.

Nutritional information per serving (1 slice): 550 cal., 9 g pro., 50 g carbo., 36 g fat, 190 mg chol., 400 mg sodium.