Pumpkin Cheesecake

This recipe from Taste Local Taste Fresh (2006) was a collaboration between Nougats and Shantzholm Pumpkins.

 

Crumb Crust

 

1 cup graham-cracker crumbs

3 tbsp butter, melted

2 tbsp sugar

 

Pumpkin Filling

 

18 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 ¼  cups sugar

18 ounces pumpkin, pureed

¾ cup sour cream

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp ground allspice

¼ tsp salt

4 large eggs

 

Sour-Cream Topping

 

1 cup sour cream

3 tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

Crystallized ginger strips for garnish

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter a 9" by 3" springform pan.  With a fork, stir graham-cracker crumbs, melted butter, and sugar until moistened. Press mixture onto bottom of pan. Tightly wrap outside of pan with heavy-duty foil to prevent leakage when baking in water bath later. Bake crust 10 minutes. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

 

In large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth, beat in sugar until blended. Then beat in pumpkin, sour cream, vanilla, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Add eggs.

 

Pour pumpkin mixture into crust and place in large roasting pan. Place pan on oven rack. Carefully pour enough boiling water into pan to come 1 inch up side of springform pan. Bake cheesecake 1hour and 10 minutes.

 

Meanwhile, prepare sour-cream topping: In small bowl, beat sour cream, sugar, and vanilla until blended. Remove cheesecake from water bath, leaving water bath in oven, and spread sour-cream mixture evenly over top. Return cake to water bath and bake for 5 minutes.

 

Remove cheesecake from water bath to wire rack; discard foil. Cool cheesecake completely. Cover and refrigerate cheesecake at least 6 hours, until well chilled. Remove side of pan to serve. Garnish with ginger.

 

Serves 16