Add a little tang to traditional cheesecake with a lemon infusion and homemade cranberry sauce. 

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F.

To make the crust, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar. Press firmly into the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes, then cool. 

Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.

For the cheesecake, combine cream cheese, mascarpone, sugar, lemon zest and juice, vanilla extract, and salt in an electric mixer. Mix until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the eggs 1 at a time, completely incorporating before adding the next. When all the eggs have been added, pour batter into the springform pan.

Bake for 45–55 minutes, until the cheesecake is slightly risen, light golden brown on top, and still slightly wobbly in the center. Carefully remove from oven and cool on the counter for 1 hour, then transfer to the refrigerator until completely cool, 2–3 hours. 

While the cheesecake is cooling, combine all the ingredients for the cranberry sauce in a small sauce pot and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the cranberries have broken down and the sauce begins to thicken, 30–40 minutes. Puree and strain the cranberry sauce, then chill. 

For neat slices of cheesecake, use a clean knife dipped in hot water before each cut. Serve with chilled cranberry sauce.