Four Season Mascarpone Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust Ingredients:

• 2 cups shortbread-cookie- or graham-cracker crumbs (16 ounces)
• 3 tablespoons cultured butter lightly salted, melted and cooled

Filling Ingredients:

• 32 ounces mascarpone
• 1¼ cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Tightly wrap the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with foil and set aside. Prepare the crust by placing shortbread-cookie- or graham-cracker crumbs and butter in a food processor and pulsing until it is the texture of rough cornmeal. Press crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan and one-third of the way up the sides of the pan. Bake until light brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Using an electric mixer, beat the mascarpone and sugar on medium for just a few minutes, until light and fluffy. Continue to mix on low adding the eggs 1 by 1 and the yolks until incorporated, then add the vanilla.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula and mix on medium for 30 seconds. Pour filling into pan with cooled crust, and place in a large roasting pan. Pour enough warm water in the roasting pan to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave cheesecake in the oven with the door ajar for 1 more hour.

Remove from oven and finish cooling cheesecake on a wire rack to room temperature.

Refrigerate for at least 8 hours before serving.