Start With The Crust:

1. Preheat The Oven to 350 degrees F. and place a rack in the lower third of the oven. 
2. Prep Your Pan. Set out a 9-inch springform pan and wrap the outside of the springform pan tightly with 2-3 layers of foil.
3. Crush Graham Crackers. In a food processor, crush the graham crackers to crumbs.
4. Coat The Crumbs. Add sugar and melted butter and pulse until combined and all the crumbs are coated in the butter mixture. 
5. Pat Out The Crust. Pour the crumbs into the prepared springform pan and use the back of a measuring cup (easiest!) or your fingers to gently pat the crust into an even layer along the bottom and up the sides of the pan. (The crust will reach about halfway up the pan)
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until just starting to brown. Remove it from the oven and set the crust aside to cool while you make the cheesecake filling.
7. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. 

Next, Make The Cheesecake Filling:

1. Reduce The Oven Temp & Check Your Ingredients. If you haven’t already, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. Make sure all your ingredients are room temperature, or they won’t blend well. Don’t rush this step!
2. Bring A Pot Of Water To A Boil while you mix up the cheesecake. You’ll use this to make a hot water bath for the cheesecake, or at least to fill up a pan of water to place beneath the cheesecake. 
3. Beat Cream Cheese & Sugar. To the bowl of a stand mixer or in a large mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese and sugar. Mix for 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally, until the mixture is completely smooth with no lumps. 
4. Mix in the eggs, one at a time on low speed, fully incorporating each egg before adding the next one.
5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add sour cream, cornstarch, lemon zest, and vanilla. Mix on low speed until just combined. 
6. With the mixer on low speed (or by hand), gently mix in the heavy cream. The filling should be VERY smooth with no noticeable lumps. 
7. Pour the cheesecake filling into the cooled graham cracker crust. It’ll nearly fill the pan to the top. Gently smooth the surface into an even layer or gently tap on the counter a few times to help any air bubbles release. 
8. Prepare Your Hot Water Bath. Add about 3/4 inch of boiling water to your water bath pan (see notes below if you don’t have a pan large enough!) Carefully, lower your cheesecake pan into the hot water bath so that the water comes up about 1-inch on the sides of the cheesecake. 
9. Bake The Cheesecake. Carefully transfer the cheesecake to the oven and bake at 325 degrees F. for 60-70 minutes, or until the edges look just dry and the center wobbles like jello. Err on the side of UNDERbaking rather than OVERbaking.
10. Cool In The Oven For 1 Hour. Turn off the oven and crack the oven door slightly. Let the cheesecake cool in the oven with the door cracked open for 1 hour.
11. Chill 4-5 Hours. Transfer the cheesecake to the refrigerator (uncovered) and let the cheesecake chill at least 4-5 hours to cool and set completely. 

Make The Strawberry Topping:

1. Prepare The Strawberries. Start by slicing or dicing the strawberries.* Set aside 1/3 of the strawberries (8 oz.) for later. 
2. Combine Strawberries & Sugar. Add 2/3 of the strawberries (about 1 pound) to a saucepan along with the sugar. 
3. Make Slurry. In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, cornstarch, vanilla, and salt. Whisk together until completely smooth, then add this slurry to the strawberries and sugar. 
4. Bring To A Boil. Stir the mixture with a flexible spatula over medium heat until it begins to boil. 
5. Stir To Thicken. Reduce the heat and stir 4-5 minutes, or until the berries have softened somewhat and the sauce has thickened. (Remember it will thicken more as it cools)
6. Mix In Remaining Strawberries. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the remaining 1/3 of the strawberries. Stir to coat well. 
7. Cool. Let the strawberry topping cool, then transfer to an airtight container or glass jar. Chill in the refrigerator until cold.
8. Serve & Store. Store strawberry topping in the refrigerator up to 3-4 days. You can freeze this strawberry topping in an airtight freezer bag up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator before using (the texture will soften slightly upon thawing). Enjoy this strawberry topping with waffles, ice cream, cheesecake, strawberry shortcake, pound cake, yogurt, and more!
9. For A Smooth Sauce. If you don’t want any chunks in your strawberry sauce, puree the strawberries in a blender and strain them through a fine mesh sieve before you proceed with the rest of the sauce directions. (If you want to thicken the sauce more, you can mix up an additional teaspoon of cornstarch + 1 teaspoon of water and add it to the sauce as needed as it simmers)