Milk and honey cheesecake with baked apples

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350?.
2. Wrap a few layers of foil around the bottom and up the sides of a 9" round springform pan (your goal is to make the bottom watertight).
3. Mix together melted butter and gingersnap crumbs and press into your pan, smushing well into the edges. Bake the crust for 15-20 minutes, or until slightly darkened.
4. Bring a large kettle of water to boil. Meanwhile, beat ricotta with a hand mixer, adding eggs one at a time, beating well after each.
5. Add flour, yogurt, honey, lemon zest and lemon juice and mix well until combined.
6. Place your crust in a large baking dish. Pour in the filling.
7. Slightly pull out the middle rack of your oven and place the baking dish on it, then pour enough boiling water from your kettle to come halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
8. Push the rack back in and bake 45 minutes, or until the filling just barely jiggles in the center.
9. Remove pan from foil and cool on a rack at room temperature for one hour before refrigerating for at least 6 hours.
10. To make apples (best done right before serving cheesecake), preheat your oven to 400?.
11. Cut apples into quarters (or sixths, if the apples are huge) and carefully remove seeds.
12. Lightly grease a baking dish and place apple chunks in it, skin side down, in a single layer. Dot each apple with a chip of the butter, using it up, and drizzle the honey over the whole thing.
13. Bake 20 minutes, or until honey and butter have caramelized and apples have browned slightly.
14. To serve: slice cheesecake with a knife dipped in hot water and wiped between slices. Top with still-warm baked apples and drizzle with more honey.