How to Make Your Family Think You are Superwoman
Make this for a dessert option at Thanksgiving: Pumpkin Cheesecake
This is so amazing people, I made it and got rave reviews from my very picky extended family. It was already requested for Thanksgiving to accompany the pumpkin pie. Trust me ladies, just make this recipe (shout out to America's Test Kitchen for the recipe).
You will need a 9 inch nonstick springform pan and a roll of large aluminum foil( the long rolls, not the short ones that are the same size as the saran wrap rolls). So if you need to, go ask your neighbor for two or three sheets of large foil(you are going to wrap the bottom of the springform pan when you bake this in a water bath). You also need a roasting pan to put the cheescake in, so make sure it's large enough to fit before you get to that point.
Crust:
9 large Graham crackers
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground clove
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
3 Tbs white sugar
6 tbs melted unsalted butter
Pulse everything but the butter in a Cuisenart, or other kitchen appliance until it is all finely ground up and mixed. Then add the melted butter and pulse again until it incorporates. Then pat down the mixture in the springform pan. Make it smooth by tamping it evenly with a ramekin and the back of a spoon to get the edges.
Bake on a medium or low rack at 325 degrees for 15 minuets. Take out to cool.
Filling:
1 1/3 C white Sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. each of ground cloves, nutmeg, allspice and salt
Whisk these together in a bowl and set aside. Now comes the fun part:
1 Can pumkin (medium can-about 20 oz or so?) and cover a cookie sheet with about 8 paper towels. Now spread the pumpkin on the towels evenly. Cover with another 8 paper towels and allow the pumpkin to release some of it's water while you do the next step.
Filling (the good part)
1 1/2 lbs of good cream cheese (aka 3 packages) at room temperature
Mix for 1 min in a mixer to make smooth. Add the sugar mixture in 3 batches and mix for 1 min. between each addition. Add the pumpkin mixture (should be easy to scrape off the towels) and mix for 1 minute until smooth. Then add:
1 Tbs vanilla
3 Tbs lemon juice
Mix well again. Add:
3 eggs and mix well, then add two more for a total of 5. Mix. Add:
1 C. Heavy Cream- Mix until smooth and be sure to scrape down sides.
Wrap the springform pan in the sheets of foil so that no water will seep in from the water bath during baking. Set the wrapped pan in the roasting pan and then pour in the filling mixture. Put the roasting pan and cheesecake on the lowest rack in a 325 degree oven. Pour in boiling water to fill about 1/2 way up the sides of the springform pan. DO NOT exceed the height of the foil as it will ruin the crust while cooking since it will absorb the water.
Cook for about 90 minutes. The internal temp should be 140 degrees, but not over 160 degrees! Take the roasting pan out of the oven and let the cheesecake cool while still in the water bath for about 3 hours. Then put the cheesecake in the fridge overnight to set up. Make the topping the same day as the cheesecake so the flavors will develop.
Bourbon Brown sugar topping:
1 Cup. heavy cream
1 Cup Sour cream
1/2 Cup light brown sugar
1/8 tsp . salt
2 tsp/ bourbon (add at the last minute)
Mix these in abowl until incorporated. Cover and set in the fridge so the flavors can develop overnight. The next day mix with a hand mixer until it sets up a bit. It won't be as stiff as regular whipped cream, it is supposed to be thick. Add the bourbon and mix and top the cheesecake slices. Be sure to cut small slices as the cheesecake is rich and delicious.
Enjoy the accolades!
This is so amazing people, I made it and got rave reviews from my very picky extended family. It was already requested for Thanksgiving to accompany the pumpkin pie. Trust me ladies, just make this recipe (shout out to America's Test Kitchen for the recipe).
You will need a 9 inch nonstick springform pan and a roll of large aluminum foil( the long rolls, not the short ones that are the same size as the saran wrap rolls). So if you need to, go ask your neighbor for two or three sheets of large foil(you are going to wrap the bottom of the springform pan when you bake this in a water bath). You also need a roasting pan to put the cheescake in, so make sure it's large enough to fit before you get to that point.
Crust:
9 large Graham crackers
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground clove
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
3 Tbs white sugar
6 tbs melted unsalted butter
Pulse everything but the butter in a Cuisenart, or other kitchen appliance until it is all finely ground up and mixed. Then add the melted butter and pulse again until it incorporates. Then pat down the mixture in the springform pan. Make it smooth by tamping it evenly with a ramekin and the back of a spoon to get the edges.
Bake on a medium or low rack at 325 degrees for 15 minuets. Take out to cool.
Filling:
1 1/3 C white Sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. each of ground cloves, nutmeg, allspice and salt
Whisk these together in a bowl and set aside. Now comes the fun part:
1 Can pumkin (medium can-about 20 oz or so?) and cover a cookie sheet with about 8 paper towels. Now spread the pumpkin on the towels evenly. Cover with another 8 paper towels and allow the pumpkin to release some of it's water while you do the next step.
Filling (the good part)
1 1/2 lbs of good cream cheese (aka 3 packages) at room temperature
Mix for 1 min in a mixer to make smooth. Add the sugar mixture in 3 batches and mix for 1 min. between each addition. Add the pumpkin mixture (should be easy to scrape off the towels) and mix for 1 minute until smooth. Then add:
1 Tbs vanilla
3 Tbs lemon juice
Mix well again. Add:
3 eggs and mix well, then add two more for a total of 5. Mix. Add:
1 C. Heavy Cream- Mix until smooth and be sure to scrape down sides.
Wrap the springform pan in the sheets of foil so that no water will seep in from the water bath during baking. Set the wrapped pan in the roasting pan and then pour in the filling mixture. Put the roasting pan and cheesecake on the lowest rack in a 325 degree oven. Pour in boiling water to fill about 1/2 way up the sides of the springform pan. DO NOT exceed the height of the foil as it will ruin the crust while cooking since it will absorb the water.
Cook for about 90 minutes. The internal temp should be 140 degrees, but not over 160 degrees! Take the roasting pan out of the oven and let the cheesecake cool while still in the water bath for about 3 hours. Then put the cheesecake in the fridge overnight to set up. Make the topping the same day as the cheesecake so the flavors will develop.
Bourbon Brown sugar topping:
1 Cup. heavy cream
1 Cup Sour cream
1/2 Cup light brown sugar
1/8 tsp . salt
2 tsp/ bourbon (add at the last minute)
Mix these in abowl until incorporated. Cover and set in the fridge so the flavors can develop overnight. The next day mix with a hand mixer until it sets up a bit. It won't be as stiff as regular whipped cream, it is supposed to be thick. Add the bourbon and mix and top the cheesecake slices. Be sure to cut small slices as the cheesecake is rich and delicious.
Enjoy the accolades!
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