Recipe: Pumpkin Cheesecake

Just in-time for Thanksgiving 2013, there is pumpkin cheesecake. And this is no ordinary cheesecake, friends, this is the top of the cheesecake mountain. Pay attention!

Pardon the jungle tablecloth; I was at the in-laws

Pumpkin Cheesecake
Serves 12 (depending on how much turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls, and corn you had for dinner)

INGREDIENTS

Crust

• 5 ounces graham crackers (usually 9 whole crackers)
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted

Note the Christmas beer in the background

Filling

• 1-1/3 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 can (15 oz) pumpkin
• 1-½ pounds cream cheese, left at room temperature for 30 minutes
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (1 medium lemon will be enough)
• 5 large eggs, left at room temperature for 30 minutes
• 1 cup heavy cream

Not pictured: lemon & vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS

Crust

1. Heat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Spray bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan evenly with nonstick cooking spray

How to assemble your springform pan: There are two sides, the concave (1) and the convex (2), use the convex - you don't want the crust to be trapped in the concave base of the pan. Slip the base into the side (3)  and tighten the spring (4). Now ready to spray with Pam (or other cooking spray)

3. Pulse crackers, sugar, and spices in food processor until evenly and finely ground, about fifteen 2-second pulses

Just dump all the ingredients in together and then pulse a number of times until it's ready. If you don't have a food processor, put the crackers into a large zip top bag and crush with a rolling pin until thoroughly pulverized

4. Transfer crumbs to medium bowl, drizzle melted butter over, and mix with fork until evenly moistened

When it's mixed properly, it will look like wet sand

5. Dump crumbs into prepared springform pan and, using fork, spread crumbs into even layer. Using flat-bottomed drinking glass, press crumbs evenly into pan bottom - smooth crumbs into edges of pan

Work that sand until it's smooth and a good crust. Allow the sides to come-up a little bit

6. Bake until fragrant and browned around the edges, about 15 minutes. Cool on top of stove while making filling

Filling

1. Fill a teapot with water and bring to a boil
2. Meanwhile, whisk sugar, spices, and salt in small bowl; set aside

Sugar and spices become one homogeneous mix - smells like the holidays

3. To dry pumpkin: Line baking sheet with triple layer of paper towels. Spread pumpkin on paper towels in roughly even layer. Cover pumpkin with second triple layer of paper towels and press firmly until paper towels are saturated. Peel back top layer of towels and discard. Grasp bottom towels and fold pumpkin in half; peel back towels. Repeat and flip pumpkin onto baking sheet; discard towel

Begin by preparing the pan and the paper towels. Then dump the canned pumpkin in the middle and spread-out with a rubber spatula

Then press-down on the top with the second layer of paper towels - look at all the moisture that's being removed! Then you can fold it into a little pumpkin envelope and even pick it up with your hands

4. In standing mixer fitted with flat beater, beat cream cheese at medium speed to break up and soften slightly, about 1 minute

If it's softened to room temperature, the cream cheese will blend nicely. No stand mixer? Break-out the weak-ass hand mixer, and start mixing

4. Scrape beater and bottom and sides of bowl well with rubber spatula. Add sugar mixture and beat at medium-low speed until combined, about 1 minute; scrape bowl

Dump-in the sugar mixture and start mixing. When it's fluffy, it's done

5. Add pumpkin, vanilla, and lemon juice and beat at medium speed until combined, about 45 seconds; scrape bowl

Still fluffy, but now orange

6. Slowly add eggs and beat at medium-low until incorporated, about 1 minute; scrape bowl

Crack the eggs into a bowl, and then slowly incorporate them into the cream cheese mixture while it's beating. When all the eggs are added, beat until the mixture is homogenized. It will be shiny

7. Add heavy cream and beat at low speed until combined, about 45 seconds

Pour-in the cream. It will lighten the mix

8. Using rubber spatula, scrape bottom and sides of bowl and give final stir by hand

Get anything that wasn't thoroughly mixed by the mixer

9. Set springform pan with cooled crust on 18-inch-square doubled layer heavy-duty foil and wrap bottom and sides with foil; set wrapped springform pan in roasting pan. Pour filling into springform pan and smooth surface

Begin with a roasting pan and your springform pan w/ cooled crust (note: the rust and schmutz in the roasting pan is fine - we're not going to eat from it). Next, get a long piece of wide heady-duty foil and fold it in half. Put the springform pan on top

Fold the foil edges up the sides of the springform pan and then form them around the side. Put the pan in the roasting pan and put that whole thing on top of the stove. Reason: we're going to cook this in a water bath - the foil will prevent the water from getting-into the cheesecake

Slowly pour-in the cheesecake. It will almost reach the top - wow, that was close

10. Set roasting pan in oven and pour enough boiling water to come about halfway up side of springform pan

Open the oven, slide out the rack, put the roasting pan on the rack. Fill the roasting pan with water (teapot, yo) - you want the water to reach halfway up the side of the springform pan. Carefully slide the cheesecake into the oven. I said CAREFUL, dammit!

11. Bake until center of cake is slightly wobbly when pan is shaken, and center of cake registers 145 to 150 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 1 1/2 hours
12. Set roasting pan on wire rack and cool until water is just warm, about 45 minutes. Remove springform pan from water bath, discard foil, and set on wire rack; continue to cool until barely warm, about 3 hours. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 4 hours or up to 3 days

After 90 mins, remove the roasting pan from the oven and put it on the stove to cool (or wire rack). To help prevent cracking, you can use a knife to gently loosen the cheesecake from the side of the pan. Note: the cheesecake is puffed-up when it comes out of the oven - this will subside

After it's cooled on the rack and is ready for cold storage, put some plastic wrap on top and park in fridge until ready. Oh, beautiful...

SERVING SUGGESTIONS

• Cut a slice, put it on a plate, and top with some kick-ass Brown Sugar and Bourbon Cream (recipe below)

Here's what it looks like when you remove the springform pan ring. Check-out that top: no cracks. I am a cheesecake wizard! (is that a thing?)

FAQs

• I don't have a springform pan, do I need one? >> Yes. Go get one
• Drying the canned pumpkin - are you serious? >> Yes. There is a lot of extra water/moisture in the pumpkin, which will affect the texture of the finished cheesecake
• Room temp eggs & cream cheese. Why? >> For the cream cheese, it will make it easier to mix. For the eggs, it will fluff-up better
• Do I really need to wrap my springform pan with foil? >> Yes. Even the best springform pans will leak - allowing that water to get into your succulent cheesecake
• Why should I put the cheesecake and roasting pan in the oven before I add the boiling water? >> Because the water makes the rig super-heavy. Putting the pan on the rack and then adding water will make it easy - just slide it into the oven and you're done
• Should I take the temperature of the cheesecake to check doneness? >> You can. I've cooked a number of these, so I know what to look for - slight jiggle in the middle and it's done
• What if it cracks? >> It's very common for the cheesecake to crack - it happens sometimes. Just use that as the first cut, and everything will be ok. Cooking at a low temp (325) and then allowing to cool slowly (first by leaving the cheesecake in the water and then cooling out of the water) will help prevent cracking, but it can still happen

Brown Sugar & Bourbon Cream
Makes ~3 cups

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons bourbon

Hello bourbon - it's a party now!

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a bowl, whisk all ingredients until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve cheesecake, at least 4 hours or up to 24, stirring once or twice during chilling to ensure that sugar dissolves.

Dump ingredients, stir with whisk until combined

Pour into something for storage for a few hours (I use a 20oz glass beer mug), be sure to get all that left-over sugar, and cover with plastic wrap. Park in the fridge for 4-24 hours

2. When ready to serve cheesecake, beat mixture with whisk attachment at medium speed until small bubbles form around edges, about 40 seconds; increase speed to high and continue to beat until fluffy and doubled in volume, about 1 minute longer. Spoon cream on individual slices of cheesecake.

If you don't have a mixer, or access to a mixer at your in-laws house, pour the cream into a larger bowl and then whisk until soft peaks are formed. You don't want this to be a stiff whipped cream - you want it to ooze a little bit. Oh, that's good...

FAQs

• Seriously, 2 tsp of bourbon? >> You can go up to 3 tsp - but don't add too much, this is supposed to come-together as a whipped cream
• Bourbon?!? What about the children? >> Your kids need a some bourbon - just to get through the day