Instructions: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly butter a 9 1/2 inch spring form pan.

Wrap outside bottom of pan tightly with aluminum foil.

In a small bowl, toss amaretti crumbs with melted butter. Press evenly into bottom and about 1 inch up sides of pan. Bake 10 minutes. Set aside on wire cake rack. Leave oven on.

Rub brown sugar through sieve to remove lumps; set aside. Rub ricotta cheese through sieve to lighten texture; set aside.

In large bowl, using electric mixer at high speed, beat cream cheese and granulated sugar until smooth. Beat in cornstarch. Reduce speed to low. Add whole eggs one at a time. Beat in cream, vanilla and lemon zest. Add ricotta and beat just until smooth.

Pour 1 1/2 cups of cheese mixture into medium bowl. Add pumpkin, brown sugar, egg yolk and spices. Beat on low until smooth.

Pour plain cheesecake batter into prepared pan. Top with large spoonfuls of pumpkin mixture. Using a table knife, swirl mixtures to get a marbled look.

Place foil-wrapped pan in a large roasting pan and put both oven. Add enough nearly boiling water to come 1/2 inch up sides of foil-wrapped pan. Bake until sharp knife inserted 1 inch from edge of cake comes out clean, about 1 3/4 hours. Center may seem slightly unset. Place cheesecake pan on wire rack; run a sharp knife around inside of pan to release cake from sides. Cool completely.

Remove foil from pan. Cover cheesecake with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 4 hours, or overnight. (Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead.)

Remove sides of pan. Serve chilled, dipping a thin sharp knife into a tall glass of hot water before cutting each slice.

Note: Amaretti are crisp Italian almond cookies, often wrapped in pairs. They can be found in specialty food stores and some supermarkets.

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