Prepare 9 inch springform pan by lightly buttering and flouring the pan.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a food processor mix the flour, sugar and salt.  Then add 1 stick of butter, cut into 8 pieces.  If working by hand use softened butter cut into smaller pieces and see post for instructions.

Mix until it looks like coarse crumbs.  Then add the egg yolk and pulse a few times until the dough comes together in a ball.

Add the shortbread crust to the prepared pan and press down.  If the dough is sticky put it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or freezer for 15 minutes.  Believe me, it will save you frustration if you take the time to chill the dough.

Press as evenly as possible into the bottom of the pan and slightly up the sides.  Press really well at the wall of the pan so that you don't have a big build up crust.  Prick with the tines of a fork all over.  Bake for 10-15 minutes or until starting to turn golden.  Remove the crust from the oven and turn the oven up to 500 degrees to preheat for the cheesecake.

While the shortbread crust cooks, start on the cheesecake.  In a stand mixer beat 1/2 of the cream cheese on low-medium until creamy, should take a couple of minutes.  Then add remaining cream cheese.

This next step is tempting to skip but will make for a smoother cheesecake and prevent lumps.  Lower the mixing bowl and completely scrape the sides and especially the bottom of the bowl as well as the beaters. Then place back on the mixer and whizz for 30 seconds to get rid of any lumps of cream cheese.

Add sugar, beat for 1-2 minutes on medium-low.  Add vanilla extract while it's beating.

Add eggs and egg yolks one at a time, scraping the sides of the bowl and the beaters in between eggs.

Then finally add the heavy cream and mix on low for about 30 seconds.

Brush the crust with the beaten egg white.  Fill crust with cheesecake batter and smooth the top.  Either bang the pan on the counter a few times to relieve the air bubbles or take a table knife and run it through the batter in a S shape a few times.

Bake the cheesecake for 15 minutes at 500 degrees, then turn down to 200 degrees and cook for another 50-60 minutes.  Check the oven after 10 minutes at 500 degrees to make sure that the crust isn't burning.  If so you can add some foil lightly over the cheesecake, then remove the foil once you bring the oven down to 200 degrees.

Check the cheesecake after 50 at 200 degrees.  Don't use a toothpick to check for readiness.  Instead you want to see a slight jiggle in the middle of the cheesecake, the sides may have started to release.  You will have an ultimate creamy cheesecake if you take the chance and remove at this exact point.  You don't want it to be liquid, but you do want a jiggle similar to jello, just in the center part about 3-4 inches wide.

At this point turn off the oven and prop the oven door open and leave the cheesecake in the turned off oven for 45 minutes.  Finally remove the cheesecake from the oven and let cool on your countertop until completely cool.  You can remove the springform pan at this point.  Refrigerate if not ready to decorate yet.

You can either pour the caramel in the center of the cheesecake, swirl with the back of a spoon to smooth out and then pipe chocolate decoration.  Go for abstract or for a more linear look with parallel lines.

Optional;  set out a bowl of chopped pecans, preferable toasted for nut lovers to add to their piece of cake.  I typically don't add the nuts to the cheesecake because there are several people who don't care for the nuts.