White Chocolate-ginger Cheesecake

FILLING
1 lb White chocolate; finely
-chopped
32 oz Cream cheese; at room
-temperature
1/4 c Sugar
4 lg Eggs; at room temperature
1 lg Egg yolk; at room
-temperature
1 tb Vanilla
1 ts Ground ginger
2/3 c Crystallized ginger; mince
-before measure

For Crust: Butter 9″ springform pan. Wrap outside of pan with 2 layers of
heavy-duty foil. Finely grind cookies, sugar and ginger in processor. Add
butter; blend until moist clumps form. Press onto bottom and up sides of
pan. Chill while preparing filling.

For Filling: Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 300F. Stir
white chocolate in top of double boiler set over hot water until chocolate
melts. Cool to lukewarm, stirring occasionally.

Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until
fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and yolk 1 at a time, beating just until
combined after each addition. Beat in vanilla and ground ginger. Gradually
beat in white chocolate. Stir in crystallized ginger.

Transfer filling to prepared crust. Place springform pan in large roasting
pan. Pour enough hot water into roasting pan to come halfway up sides of
pan. Bake until cheesecake puffs and edges crack slightly, about 1 1/2
hours.

Transfer cake to rack. Run small knife around sides of cake to loosen. Cool
completely. Remove from pan sides. Chill cake overnight. (Can be prepared 3
days ahead. Cover and keep chilled.)

Release pan sides. Transfer cake to platter. Top with white chocolate
curls.

Per serving: 725 Calories; 51g Fat (63% calories from fat); 11g Protein;
55g Carbohydrate; 187mg Cholesterol; 452mg Sodium