Caramelized Apple Ginger Cheesecake

Combine the cookie crumbs, nuts and sugar in a food processor or blender. Process or blend until uniformly fine crumb. Add the melted butter and process or mix to moisten the crumbs evenly. (The ingredients will not hold together.) With your fingertips, distribute the crumbs evenly over the bottom of an unbuttered 9" x 3" spring mold pan. Press down firmly to make a compact layer on the bottom only. Put the rack in the bottom one-third of the oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Allow to cool to room temperature or place in freezer to chill. In a medium pan, melt the 1/2 cup of butter with the 1/2 cup of sugar and cook until it becomes a light brown caramel. Add the apples and ginger and saute until very tender and golden brown. Pour the Caramelized apples over the baked crust and distribute evenly. Chill again. Butter the sides of the pan carefully using a pastry brush and melted butter (Use additional melted butter for this purpose). Combine the cream cheese and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat until smooth. Mix in the lemon juice, vanilla and salt. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix in well, scraping the bowl well after each egg. After adding the eggs, beat as little as possible. Turn the mixture into the prepared pan, pouring it over the apples and crust. Wrap he bottom of the spring mold pan int a few layers of aluminum foil. This will prevent water from entering the pan while baking. Level the batter and place the pan into another pan that is larger. Add 1 inch of hot water and bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until the cake does one solid jingle when bumped. Remove from the water bath and remove the foil wrapping. Let the cake stand at room temperature for several hours to become completely cool and set. With a sharp knife cut around the sides all the way to the bottom to release from the pan. Remove the spring form sides and refrigerate overnight. In a covered saucepan slowly cook the apple slices with the butter until cook, but firm. Cool and set aside. Combine the sugar, corn syrup and butter in a saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar has dissolved. Continue cooking until the mixture forms a firm ball in cold water (242 degrees F. on a candy thermometer). Remove from the heat and add the cream and the vanilla. Cool. Place apples slices on cake and drizzle caramel over apples.