The filling:
2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
finely grated zest of 1 lemon

The crust:
1/3 cup butter
1 1/2 cups dry cookie crumbs, such as gingersnap or graham crackers
3 tablespoons sugar
9 inch springform pan

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300°F. Brush the cake pan generously with butter.

Make the crust: melt the butter, stir in the cookie crumbs and sugar. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan, spreading it evenly with the back of a spoon. Bake until lightly toasted, 13 to 15 minutes. Remove and cool on a rack.

Make the cheesecake: in a heavy duty electric mixer on low speed, beat the cream cheese until soft. Note: use the paddle attachment instead of the whisk, so air is not beaten into mixture. Add the sugar, vanilla, and salt and continue beating until light and creamy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one by one, beating until smooth. Stir in the lemon zest. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake in the heated oven until done, 1 to 1/2 hours.

Turn oven off, open door slightly, and leave cake to cool 1 hour. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 12 hours or overnight. To serve, warm the sides of the pan with your hands to melt the butter coating. Remove the ring from cake, loosening gently, if possible without using a knife. Set cake, still sitting on the pan base, on a platter.

Serves 12 to 16.

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