| 1 | Shortbread crust: preheat the oven to 400 °F. |
| 2 | Working on a large flat surface, such as a pastry board, place flour, pecans, and sugar in the center of the surface and mix together. |
| 3 | Form a small depression or well in the center of the mound. |
| 4 | Add the egg yolk and the softened butter to the well, then blend these with the dry mixture. |
| 5 | Mix the ingredients thoroughly using your hands -- there is no substitute for warm hands. |
| 6 | Shape the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. |
| 7 | Chill for at least 10 minutes. |
| 8 | Roll out the dough to a thickness of about ?inch. |
| 9 | You should have a circle of about 11 inches in diameter. |
| 10 | For best results, roll out your dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper, then peel away the paper and cut the crust in a 9 inch circle. |
| 11 | Place the circle inside a 9 inch springform pan. |
| 12 | Prick the crust several times with a fork to keep the crust from puffing up during the baking. |
| 13 | Place the springform pan in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until light brown. |
| 14 | Allow to cool. |
| 15 | Using the leftover dough, line the sides of the springform pan. |
| 16 | Press the dough against the sides of the pan, smoothing it so as to have a continuous layer of crust all the way around the sides of the pan. |
| 17 | Make sure that the side crust meets the bottom crust all the way around. |
| 18 | Brush the reserved egg white onto the shell, covering the bottom and sides. |
| 19 | This will seal the dough and keep it from becoming soggy. |
| 20 | Set aside until ready to use. |
| 21 | cranberry glaze filling: mix the sugar and cornstarch together in a small saucepan. |
| 22 | Stir in the cranberry sauce. |
| 23 | Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick. |
| 24 | Stir in the lemon zest and lemon juice. |
| 25 | Set aside to cool slightly. |
| 26 | white chocolate filling: reset the oven to 350 °F. |
| 27 | Boil the orange juice and piece of orange peel in a heavy medium saucepan until the juice is reduced to 3 tbsp - about 12 minutes. |
| 28 | Remove and discard the strip of orange peel and set aside the reduced orange juice. |
| 29 | Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese, sugar, grated orange zest, crantasia, and reduced orange juice until smooth. |
| 30 | Beat in the melted white chocolate and then the eggs, one at a time, beating just until combined. |
| 31 | Pour the cranberry glaze filling into the prepared crust, spreading evenly. |
| 32 | Pour the white chocolate filling over the cranberry layer and bake about 50 minutes (the top will be dry and the sides puffed slightly - the center will not be set). |
| 33 | Move cheesecake to a wire rack and cool completely to room temperature. |
| 34 | Chill in the refrigerator overnight. |
| 35 | candied oranges topping: cover a wire rack with waxed paper. |
| 36 | Set aside. |
| 37 | Combine the water and sugar in a heavy shallow wide skillet. |
| 38 | Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. |
| 39 | Simmer 5 minutes longer. |
| 40 | Add the orange slices 1 at a time and adjust the heat so that the syrup bubbles only around the edges of the pan. |
| 41 | Cook the oranges for one hour. |
| 42 | Turn over the top layer of oranges and cook until the oranges are translucent and the orange peels tender, about another one hour longer. |
| 43 | Lift and drain each orange slice out of the syrup, and arrange the slices in a single layer on the prepared rack. |
| 44 | Let dry 1 hour. |
| 45 | Boil the orange-sugar syrup until thick, about 6 minutes. |
| 46 | loosen and remove the sides of the springform pan. |
| 47 | Set the cheesecake on a serving dish. |
| 48 | Overlap the candied orange slices around the top of the cheesecake. |
| 49 | Reheat the orange syrup, if necessary, and brush over the orange slices. |
| 50 | Drizzle any remainder over each serving. |
| 51 | Garnish: whipped cream note: you may substitute grapefruits for the oranges in the candied oranges topping if you prefer. |
