Mascarpone Cheesecake topped with Cherry Sauce

You can make cheesecake a million ways with flavors and toppings, but this is one of my favorites: traditional filling with a twist of some added mascarpone cheese and just enough lemon to brighten the flavor. Cheesecake isn't the first thing that comes to mind when I think of summer desserts, but it is an American classic - so it is fitting for the 4th of July. And it's also the beginning of cherry season! I actually made this recipe this winter when we first got to Michigan and I made the cherry sauce with locally grown cherries that I bought frozen. But looking at this awesome pic (taken by Brian) makes we want to make this again using a fresh crop of cherries. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Mascarpone Cheesecake topped with Cherry Sauce
cheesecake from Gourmet, December 2003

INGREDIENTS:
Crust:
8 ounces vanilla wafers or graham crackers, finely ground in a food processor (2 cups)
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Filling:
20 ounces cream cheese (2.5 eight-ounce packages), softened
8 ounces mascarpone cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon salt

Sour Cream topping:
1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt

Cherry Sauce:
2 cups of cherries
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS:
Make crust:
Preheat oven to 350F and put oven rack in middle position. Grease bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
Stir together cookie crumbs and butter in a bowl. Pat mixture onto bottom and 1.5 inches up the side of the springform pan. Put pan in a shallow baking pan and bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Cool completely on a rack, about 25 minutes. Leave oven on.

Meanwhile, make Filling while crust bakes:
Beat cream cheese, mascarpone, and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium high speed until fluffy, 3-5 minutes. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, lemon juice, and salt and mix at low speed until combined. Pour into cooled crust and bake until cake is set and puffed around edge but still trembles lightly when pan is shaken gently, 25-30 minutes. Cool slightly in springform pan on rack, about 20 minutes. (Cheesecake will continue to set as it cools.) Leave oven on.

Sour cream topping:
Stir together sour cream, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice, and salt in a small bowl and spoon over cheesecake, spreading gently and evenly, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edge.

Bake cheesecake until topping is set, about 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around edge to help prevent cracking. Cool on rack, then chill, loosely covered, at least 8 hours.  Top with cherry sauce (warm or cool) just before serving.

Cherry Sauce:
In a small saucepan combine all ingredients except butter and simmer over medium heat until the fruit begins to break down slightly and sauce starts to thicken. Stir in butter and remove from heat and cool. Can be made in advance and reheated before serving.