Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake
Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake
Bringing together warm pumpkin spices, notes of ginger, creamy dreaminess, and beautiful swirls, this dessert is a must for the holiday season. (Adapted from Gourmet, November 2006)

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Inactive Chilling Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 7 hours 30 minutes

Yields: 8-10 servings

For the Crust
(Makes enough for a 9- to 9 ½-inch pan)

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus additional for greasing
1 1/2 cups (about 6 oz) cookie crumbs (8 Miette gingersnaps)
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

  1. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350ºF. Lightly butter springform cake pan or pie plate.
  2. Make cookie crumbs by breaking up the cookies and pulsing in food processor until finely ground.
  3. Stir together all ingredients in a bowl and press evenly on bottom of pan. If you’re using a pie plate, you can press up the sides too. Bake until crisp, 12 to 15 minutes, then cool on a rack to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

For the Filling

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
15 oz canned solid-pack pumpkin

Preparation:

  1. While the gingersnap crust is cooling, make the filling. Keep the oven at 350°F.
  2. Pulse sugar and ginger in a food processor until ginger is finely chopped, then add cream cheese and pulse until smooth. Add eggs, cream, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and pulse until just combined.
  3. Reserve 1/3 cup cream cheese mixture in a glass measure. Whisk together remaining cream cheese mixture and pumpkin in a large bowl until combined.
  4. Pour pumpkin mixture into gingersnap crumb crust. Stir reserved cream cheese mixture and drizzle decoratively over top of pumpkin mixture, then make swirls using a butter knife or handle-end of a spoon.
  5. Put the cake pan on a baking sheet and bake until center is just set, 45 to 55 minutes. Transfer to a rack and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours, then chill, loosely covered with foil, at least 4 hours. If necessary, very gently blot any moisture from surface with paper towels before serving.

Cook’s Note: If using a pie plate instead of a springform cake pan, you will likely have more filling than you need, so be careful not to overfill it. Cheesecake can be chilled up to 3 days (crust will soften slightly).