Thursday, November 19, 2009

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Ginger Pecan Crust




Crust

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup (40g) chopped crystallized ginger
1/3 cup (54g) pecans
1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, cold & cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 tbsp cold water

Filling

1 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice (or 1/2 tsp ginger and 1/4 tsp cloves)
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 lbs (567g) cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
4 large eggs, at room temp.

To make the crust

Position oven rack in the center and preheat oven to 350F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x3 inch springform pan. Wrap the outside of the pan with 2-3 layers of aluminum foil.

Place the flour, sugar, salt, ginger, and pecans in the bowl of a food processor. Process until the pecans are finely ground. Add the cold butter cubes and pulse until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Add the cold water slowly until the dough just comes together. Press the dough into the bottom of your prepared pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes until the crust just starts to brown. Cool crust completely on a wire rack.

To make the filling

Reduce oven temperature to 325F. In a bowl, whisk together pumpkin, heavy cream, vanilla, spices and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese on medium-low speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugars and beat on low speed until smooth. Mix in the pumpkin mixture, then add the cornstarch and mix until just blended. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and do a final mix by hand to make sure all the ingredients are well incorporated.

Pour the filling in the cooled crust. Set the still wrapped springform pan in a large roasting pan. Carefully pour enough hot water into the large pan to come 1 inch up the sides of the springform pan. Bake for 70 to 80 minutes until the center is set but still a bit wobbly.

Remove cheesecake from water bath to a cooling rack. Carefully remove the foil and run a thin knife tip around the edge of the cake. This will loosen the cake and help prevent the top from cracking. Cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate the cooled cheesecake for at least 4 hours before serving.

6 comments:

Nej said...

How did you know I was looking for a pumpkin cheesecake recipe today?? I'm serious! :-)

Amy said...

WOW. that is wierd! i must have Special powers" ooooohhh....

Nej said...

Mental Note: Amy has special powers. Must stay on her good side.

:-) :-)

Amy said...

8)

Spellbound said...

Hey, I made one of these for thanksgiving but had to make it carb free as my daughter has just been diagnosed with gestational diabetes. I made the crust from almond meal and used splenda. It was very good, although I'm sure it would have been better with actual sugar.

Amy said...

@ spellbound:that sounds good! I have tried to eat low card in the past and it really was working well..then I had a few chipss..well.. you get the picture! I have used finely ground almonds for dessert crust-it works well. mIne was good a T'giving too-but next time-it really would be better topped w/ real whipped cream. yummmm