Preheat the oven to 325F (not fan-assisted/not convection).

Make the Crust: Add graham cracker crumbs to a medium bowl and stir in the brown sugar. Pour the melted butter over top, then stir until all the crumbs are moistened and have a wet sand texture. Add a pinch of salt if you used unsalted butter. *If using an 8-inch spring form pan, remove 1/2 cup of the crumb mixture, as you won’t need it all for the base. You can reserve to sprinkle on top of the finished cake, if you like (sprinkle around the outside edge in a ring).

Press the moist crumb mixture into the bottom of your spring form pan. Use the bottom of a dry measuring cup to make sure the crust is really pressed down, to make it easiest to cut later on.

Bake the crust until it is lightly golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool. Leave oven on and set at 325F.

Make the Filling: Combine the room temperature cream cheese, sour cream and granulated sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the mixture is extremely smooth and well blended, a minute or two. Remove the lid of the food processor and scrape down the sides and bottom of the food processor and try to reach under the blades if you can, to fine and incorporate any stubborn chunks of cream cheese. Process again briefly after scraping. (Getting a perfectly smooth batter at this point is important to prevent cracks in your finished cake, so take the time here to make sure it’s well blended and smooth).

Add the eggs, lemon juice and zest and a pinch of salt and keep processing until it’s super smooth and creamy, another 30 seconds or so.

Pour the filling into the baked crust *You may have some leftover filling if you are using a regular cake pan.

Bake in preheated 325 F oven until mostly set, with a little jiggle in the centre 3-4 inches, with the outsides looking set and puffy, about 20 to 30 minutes. The filling should not brown at all. Don’t over-cook, as this can cause your cheesecake to crack.

Turn the oven off and open the door a crack (inserting a wooden spoon in the crack will help it say open). Let the cheesecake sit in the oven for about 10 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack on the counter to cool completely.

Once cooled completely, over the top of the spring form pan with plastic wrap, then a layer of aluminum foil. Place the cheesecake in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours.

To serve, remove from spring form pan. Topping option: citrus slices, a scattering of blueberries or blackberries, a mint leaf and a dusting of icing sugar, if you like.

Make the Optional Compote: Place the berries, sugar and lemon juice in a medium saucepan over low-medium heat. Stir the mixture so that the berries are coated. Gently stir the mixture for about 5-10 minutes as the blueberries begin to soften and the juices come out.

In a small cup, dissolve the cornstarch in the water. Add the mixture to the blueberries, gently stirring as the mixture starts to thicken.. Boil for additional 5 minutes and cool. Mixture will thicken as it cools.