PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

This recipe has already been posted on LIVINGSTON COOKS but I was asked to bake a couple of cheesecakes for a fund raising event and I thought I would bake a pumpkin cheesecake and post it here again. I baked two cheesecakes for the fund raiser - the pumpkin and the dulce de leche - but I knew the pumpkin would be the most popular of the two. The other recipe will follow this one in a day or two.

First the cream cheese must be softened for mixing with the other ingredients. I like to beat the hell out of it in the mixer until it's soft and fluffy. The paddle works best for this.

There ya go! Soft and fluffy just like I wanted it. Now we're ready to move ahead!

Now I add the brown and white sugar. Again, I will beat the hell out of this mixture until everything is light and fluffy!

There you have it...a light and fluffy cream of cheese and sugar. It looks light, creamy and smooth. This is exactly what you are looking for at this stage of the game!

Now I add the eggs, and again, I whip them in until incorporated thoroughly. At this point we have pretty much everything (and I say pretty much everything) to make athis cheesecake a go, but let's take a closer look at the chemestry involved here.

When it comes to making cheesecake, there is a lot going on in the process and we should understand how the process works. There are several factors at work that add volume and density to a cheesecake. The cream cheese is the backbone of the cake. There is no flour being used here yet we end up with a dense cake; that is mainly because of the cheese. But the eggs play a role in the solidification process too. The eggs coagulate during baking and this firms things up. And the corn starch (used to thicken sauces and such) also plays a role in solidification; as the batter gets hot, the corn starch thickens. And lastly, the cheese firms up during the chilling of the cake.

When the eggs are incorporated, the pumpkin, corn starch and spices are added and blended into the batter.


Everything is blended thoroughly.

The batter is poured into the spring form pan over top of the cooled graham crumb crust and is baked in the oven.

Here is the finished product decorated with a sour cream glaze and a pecan border.

Pumpkin Praline Cheesecake

Crust:

1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
6 Tbsp melted butter

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine all ingredients. Press firmly into the bottom of a 10" spring form pan.
• Bake for 10 minutes and cool thoroughly.

Filling:

1 1/2 lbs cream cheese
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
2 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp corn starch
1 Tbsp bourbon

• Beat cream cheese, brown sugar and white sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs one at a time and whip until thoroughly incorporated.
• Beat in pumpkin, spices, milk, bourbon and corn starch until smooth.
• Pour over crust in spring form pan.
• Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes or until set.

Topping:

2 cups sour cream
1 Tbsp white granulated sugar
1 Tbsp bourbon