Chocolate Cranberry Cheesecake

Crust
1 1/3 cups crumbs from chocolate wafer cookies,
    such as Nabisco Famous Wafers (about 28 cookies)
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan.

In a bowl combine the crumbs, sugar and melted butter. Press the mixture across the bottom and part way up the sides of the prepared pan. Set aside.

Filling
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
16 ounces cream cheese
2 eggs
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon cornstarch

In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, water and 1/4 cup sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar.

Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the mixture is reduced to about one cup. Pour into a bowl and set aside to cool.

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until it's smooth, about one minute. Add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and beat another minute, until the mixture is well-combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time.

Add the sour cream, cornstarch and half the cranberry mixture, mixing well. Pour into the prepared pan and dot the surface with heaping teaspoons of the remaining cranberry mixture.

Bake 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees, and bake until the edges of the batter have risen and begun to brown, about another 40 minutes. Cool the cheesecake completely on a wire rack, run a sharp knife around the pan and release and remove the side. Cover the cheesecake with plastic wrap. Refrigerate 4 hours or more before adding the Glaze.

Glaze
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 1/3 cups (8 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips

Put the cream in a medium saucepan and bring it to a low simmer. Remove the pan from the heat, add the chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is completely smooth. Pour into a bowl and let stand until it is lukewarm but still pourable.

Unwrap the cheesecake and put it on a rack over waxed paper. Pour the glaze onto the center of the cheesecake which has been chilled for 4 hours or more; use a metal spatula to spread it evenly over the top and let it run down the sides.

Set the cheesecake on a serving plate and refrigerate. Let stand at room temperature about an hour before serving.

Serves 15.