| 1 | Preheat oven to 350°F. |
| 2 | Crust: wrap the bottom and outsides of 9-inch springform pan with aluminum foil. |
| 3 | Lightly butter inside of pan and set aside. |
| 4 | Combine cookie crumbs, sugar and butter. |
| 5 | Press mixture onto bottom and halfway up sides of prepared springform pan. |
| 6 | Bake for 10 minutes on center rack of preheated oven. |
| 7 | Set aside, but do not turn off oven. |
| 8 | Filling: using electric mixer, blend together all ingredients. |
| 9 | Add eggs and mix just until well-combined. |
| 10 | Pour filling into prepared crust. |
| 11 | Bake until center is just set, about 50 minutes. |
| 12 | Refrigerate cake immediately, and leave until thoroughly chilled (at least 6 hours or overnight). |
| 13 | Topping: combine all ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. |
| 14 | Stir over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. |
| 15 | Bring to a boil and continue cooking for 3 minutes. |
| 16 | Strain mixture through a sieve set over a lage bowl, pressing firmly with the back of a spoon to force as much of the liquid through sieve as possible. |
| 17 | Spoon warm topping evenly over cold cake. |
| 18 | Refrigerate until topping is set, at least 2 hours. |
| 19 | (can be prepared 1 day before serving. |
| 20 | Store covered in refrigerator). |
| 21 | To serve, pipe rosettes of whipped cream around edges of cake. |
| 22 | Garnish with whole cranberries. |
| 23 | Modified from from a recipe in bon appetit (november 1994) typed for you by karen mintzia |
