Classic Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust:

2 cups graham crackers

1 stick butter, melted

2 tablespoons sugar

pinch of salt

zest of one lemon

Filling:

2 pounds cream cheese (4 regular pkgs)

1 1/2 cups sugar

pinch of salt

1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract

5 large eggs

2/3 cup sour cream

zest of one lemon

Garnish:

assorted berries, sugar, edible flowers

Instructions:

Butter 9 inch springform pan
Mix crushed crackers, sugar, salt and lemon zest with melted butter.
Press mixture into the bottom of the pan. You will not need all of the mixture. You can also choose to bring the crust up the sides or not. If you do bring the crust up the sides, it does not need to be uniform.
Bake crust at 350 for 4 or 5 minutes. Cool completely.
Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Add salt and vanilla then beat in one egg at a time. Add sour cream and zest then mix thoroughly.
Pour filling onto crust and bake at 325 for 60 minutes. Edges should be starting to set but the middle should still be 'jiggly'.
Shut off oven, open door and leave in the oven for 1 hour. Remove and set aside to cool completely. Then chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
For berry topping: Place berries (either combined or separate) in a bowl and cover with sugar. (1/4 sugar for 2 cups berries) Chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.