Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit and get out a 9-inch spring form pan. In a medium bowl, stir together the finely-crushed graham cracker crumbs, melted butter, sugar, and salt until well-combined. The mixture will be loose and crumbly. Press the mixture into the spring form pan so that bottom and side (at least 2 inches up) are covered. Bake for 15 minutes and then let cool completely before filling (about 30 minutes).

While the crust is cooling, make the filling. Lower the oven temp to 325°. In a food processor or electric mixer, pulse together the room-temp cream cheese, sugar, and salt until smooth (you may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl occasionally). Using a knife, split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds of one half of the pod out using a spoon - add to the food processor, along with the sour cream and lemon zest. Pulse until smooth and combined.

Scrape filling into the cooled crust and smooth the top. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the edges are set (center may still be jiggly).  Chill cheesecake in the fridge until completely set, about two hours.

While the cheesecake is chilling, make the cherries! Pit the 2 pints of cherries, then set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine the water and sugar and bring to medium heat. Cook for about 5 minutes until sugar has dissolved and sauce has thickened. Add in the cherries and the balsamic and continue to cook until the cherries are softened and the sauce is deep red (3-4 minutes). Remove cherries (put them in the serving bowl) and continue to cook the sauce for about 8 minutes until thick and syrupy (to your taste). Pour syrup back over cherries and then you're ready to serve!