Cheesecake Pie

To make this, I cut a recipe down a bit, because I don't have a springform pan, and even my largest pie or cake pans do not have as large a capacity as one. I was huddled over the counter with a calculator trying to keep the ingredients in proportion to one another, and I remembered why I've never been much of a baker. Cheesecake Pie Graham Cracker Crust: 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (putting graham crackers in a bag and rolling over them with a rolling pin works pretty well) 6 Tb melted butter 1/4 cup sugar 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg Mix the ingredients together and press into a large greased pie pan. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until lightly browned and solidified. Cheesecake Batter: Have all ingredients at room temperature, and heat oven to 450F. In a large bowl, beat two pounds of softened cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Gradually beat in 14 oz (1 cup plus 1/4 cup plus 2 Tb plus 1 Tsp) sugar and 1 Tb flour; this is the last chance you get to make sure there are no lumps of cheese before you add in the eggs. Add 1 tsp lemon zest and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Beat in, one at a time, 4 large eggs and one egg yolk. Try not to over mix the eggs, because if you beat enough air into them, the batter will rise dramatically in the oven, and then fall, like a souffle. When the eggs have been wholly incorporated, beat in 3.2 oz (1/4 cup plus 2 Tb plus 1 tsp) heavy cream slowly. Pour the batter into the crust, scraping the sides with a spatula and smoothing it into the crust evenly. I had about a cup left over, and I was worried that it would spill over, but it probably wouldn't have. I made "cheesecake creme brulee" out of the extra batter Bake for 15 minutes at 450F, and then lower the temperature to 200F and bake for another hour. Let cool in the oven for a half hour with the oven door held ajar by a wooden spoon or something similar. Let cool completely before serving, preferably refrigerating at least a day or two, to let the custard set and the cheese flavor intensify.