Sunflower Seed Cookie Crust:

Preheat the oven to 350°

In a mixing bowl, combine the crumbled cookies with the melted butter and sugar. Mix well.

Lightly coat a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray or butter. Press the cookie mixture into the bottom of the pan.

Bake for 8–10 minutes, until it just starts to brown and become fragrant. Remove from the oven and cool completely in the pan.

Cheesecake:

In a small bowl, bloom the gelatin with the water by sprinkling the gelatin over the water. Set aside.

With an electric mixer, whip 1 ¾ cups heavy cream. Keep it cool in the refrigerator.

In a small saucepot, heat the remaining ¼ cups heavy cream. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean into the pot and throw the pod in. Bring to a boil, making sure to mix constantly to prevent scalding.

As soon as it boils, remove from heat and remove the vanilla bean pod. Pour the heavy cream over the gelatin to dissolve; allow to cool slightly.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the eggs with the sugar and whisk on medium-high speed until pale and tripled in volume. Add the cheese, zest & lemon juice.

Reduce the speed to medium-low and slowly incorporate the gelatin and heavy cream mixture. Fold in the whipped cream.

Pour the cheesecake mixture over the sunflower cookie crust in the springform pan. Place it in the refrigerator chill for about 6 hours. Cheesecake can also be frozen and cut, allowing slices to warm up a bit before serving.