I let B handle the turkey. Otherwise, we would have been just another homeowners insurance statistic. I’m happy to report that the house did not burn down (especially since it was my brother in law’s house), and no one was hurt. And for anyone who may have read my last post and is interested in the outcome of the turkey cook off this year, rotisserie took home the trophy again this year. It was the moistest most flavorful bird of the lot.
Since B took care of the turkey, dessert was up to me. I was up for the challenge, but to be honest I didn’t face it head on. I gave some serious consideration to making a pie. I knew a pie making attempt would most likely result in a great blog post but perhaps a pretty bad pie, so I chickened out. I couldn’t take the risk of screwing up PIE on THANKSGIVING. As much as I want to entertain you all with my cooking failures, I had in laws to impress. Priorities.
Since pie was off the table, I went with – wait for it – pumpkin cheesecake. (I know you didn’t see that one coming.) Still seasonally appropriate, if not all that traditional. I’ve made pumpkin cheesecakes before, but I wanted to try something a little different. So off to epicurious.com I went.
I ended up with a Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe (courtesy of Gourmet, November 1999). Not being a bourbon drinker, I didn’t have any bourbon on hand and didn’t want to buy a bottle for the two tablespoons of bourbon the recipe called for. So I opted instead for a Jameson’s Irish Whisky Pumpkin Cheesecake. Which was great because it allowed me to slightly put my own spin on it. (Sure, I wouldn’t win any awards on Top Chef Just Desserts for swapping out bourbon for whisky, but it was Thanksgiving. No risks!)
It was delicious, and despite the length of the ingredients list, not all that challenging.
Here’s the recipe:
Crust
- 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
- 1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon bourbon (or Jameson’s Irish Whisky)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
Topping
- 2 cups sour cream (20 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon bourbon (or Jameson’s Irish Whisky)
- Garnish – pecan halves
- Butter the sides and bottom of a 9” springform pan.
- Stir together crumbs, pecans, sugar and butter in a bowl until combined well.
- Pres crumb mixtgure evenly onto bottom and 1/2 inch up side of pan.
- Chill for one hour.
- Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Whisk together pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cream, vanilla and liquor in a bowl until combined.
- Stir together the granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and salt in a large bowl.
- Add cream cheese and beat with an electric mixer at high speed until creamy and smooth (about 3 minutes).
- Reduce speed to medium, then add pumpkin mixture and beat until smooth.
- Pour filling into crust, smoothing top, then put springform pan in a shallow baking pan (in case it leaks).
- Bake until center is just set, 50-60 minutes, rotating halfway through.
- Transfer to rack and cool for 5 minutes (leaving the oven on).
- Whisk together the sour cream, sugar, and liquor in a bowl.
- Spread on top of cheesecake.
- Bake 5 minutes.
- Cool cheesecake completely in pan on rack, about 3 hours.
- Chill, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours.
- Garnish top of cheesecake with pecan halves.
- Remove side of pan and bring to room temperature before serving.
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