Pumpkin Cheesecake
Makes One 10-inch cake serving 10-12
For the Crust
1/4 pound (1 stick) sweet butter, at room temp
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup unbleached flour
1 extra-large egg yolk
1/3 cup ground walnuts
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
a pinch of salt
a 10-inch springform pan
For the Filling
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup dark molasses
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree (preferably fresh)
1 T. vanilla
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 T. ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 extra-large egg
1 extra large egg yolk
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the remaining ingredients and form into a ball. Flatten the ball and press the dough onto the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Bake until the crust is golden brown, approximately 15-20 minutes, and set aside. Lower the oven temperature to 250 F.
In an electric mixer, or by hand, beat the cream cheese with the sugar until there are no lumps. Add all the other ingredients except for the egg and egg yolk and mix well. Finally, add the egg and yolk and continue mixing until they are just incorporated (you do not want additional air whipped into the cheesecake). Pour into the crust and bake until the filling is set, approximately 80 minutes. Cool to room temperature in the pan and chill. Remove the pan to serve.
Life span: 3 days, well covered, in the refrigerator.