It’s Thanksgiving time! What more could you ask for than beautiful fall weather and lots of food? Try this rich pumpkin cheesecake and I’m sure your guests will be wanting more!
Pumpkin Cheesecake
For the crust:
3/4 box (12 ounces) vanilla wafers or plain cookies
1 cup pecan halves
1 stick butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-inch pan with cooking spray and set aside. Place the wafers/cookies and the pecans in a food processor and grind until they form coarse crumbs. Place in a bowl and slowly add the butter while mixing with your hands. As soon as you can pack the mixture without it falling apart, it is ready; press into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the mixture is firm. Place in refrigerator until cool.
For the filling:
2 pounds cream cheese
1 cup light brown sugar
6 eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups pumpkin puree
Place the cream cheese in food processor and blend until smooth. Add the sugar and blend until smooth; scrape down sides of bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure they are thoroughly blended before adding another. Add the heavy cream. Add the flour, cinnamon and salt; blend. Add the vanilla. Add the pumpkin and blend completely, scraping down the sides and making sure there are no lumps. Spray the pan, with the pre-baked crust, again with cooking spray. Pour the mixture (it will be pretty liquid) into the pan and place in the middle of the preheated oven. Bake for about 1 hour 20 minutes, checking frequently after 1 hour. The cake is finished when it is browning around the edges and top, and is mostly set; the center might still be slightly wobbly. Remove from the oven and carefully cut around the edges of the cake with a very sharp knife; this will prevent the cake from cracking as it cools. Cool completely, six hours or overnight.
For the bourbon chocolate sauce:
1/4 cup corn syrup
3/4 cup heavy cream
2 ounces bourbon
8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chip pieces
Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and set aside. Bring the corn syrup, heavy cream and bourbon to a bare simmer over medium heat and pour over the chocolate. Stir gently until melted and serve over cheesecake (this will harden slightly as it cools, so it’s best made just before serving; however, you can reheat it on low power in the microwave).
Be sure to email me your favorite recipe for the December issue of Ropers Sports News, which will be handed out all over Las Vegas during the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. — or Facebook message me. I’ll cook or bake your favorite recipe and send it on to Ropers Sports News to be printed.