For those of you who struggle with trying to figure out how to bake pies and also put a turkey in the oven on Thanksgiving Day, this is a perfect solution. A cheesecake can be made a couple of days ahead and kept in the refrigerator, then unmolded the day of the dinner.
When I first thought of this recipe, I worried about the calories and did a comparison. One serving has about the same number of calories as a piece of pecan pie. It has more calories than pumpkin pie, but only if your piece of pie is eaten without whipped cream on top. So tell your guests that it is okay to indulge themselves. This also means you won’t have soggy pie crusts, which often happens if you leave your pies in the refrigerator a day or two before the big dinner. Any leftover cheesecake can be frozen and eaten later.
The base of pumpkin cheesecake, ready for topping. (Photo by Patty Schied)
I hope as you plan your Thanksgiving Day menu, you remember those who are not fortunate enough to afford a turkey dinner of their own. According to the internet, there are over 2,000 Juneau residents living in poverty, making food purchases often very difficult. You can help. The other day, I was curious about the local food bank which is only open on Thursday afternoons. In the dark, wet and windy weather, I went there to drop off a few items. I saw at least two dozen cars parked in the crowded lot with a long line of people waiting at the entrance. As I drove away, I spotted an old man in a wheelchair with packs of food on his back slowly making his way down the street through the driving rain. It seems cruel to make visiting the food bank so difficult.
What to donate? Recently I learned that items such as boxed macaroni and cheese that require baking and the use of additional ingredients are not always optimal. Also, many people crave coffee, tea, condiments such as mustard, ketchup and mayonnaise, items that don’t occur to many of us to donate. For those of you who shop at Costco and purchase bulk foods, please consider donating some of these items to the food bank along with items that make meals tastier. You will make someone or some family very happy.
Pumpkin cheesecake with a pecan crust ready for serving. (Photo by Patty Schied)
PUMPKIN PECAN CHEESECAKE
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees
Pecan Crust:
2 cups finely chopped pecans
3 tablespoons of melted butter.
¼ cup of sugar
Spray the sides and bottom of a 9- or 10-inch spring form pan and place a round of parchment paper cut to fit on the bottom. Mix pecan crust ingredients together and press onto bottom of pan. By using parchment paper on the bottom of the cheesecake pan, the chilled finished cake can be unmolded easily on a dessert plate.
Mix thoroughly with an electric mixer:
1½ pounds of cream cheese (three 8oz boxes) softened at room temperature (this may take two or three hours)
1 cup of granulated sugar
Add and mix thoroughly:
3 eggs
1 cup of sour cream
1 14 oz. can of pureed pumpkin (do not use pumpkin pie mix)
1½ teaspoons cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon cloves
Mix thoroughly with electric mixer.
Pour cheesecake filling into prepared pan. Place on cookie sheet to prevent leakage.
Bake at 300 degrees for 70 minutes. Turn off oven and open door. Leave cheesecake in oven for another 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool on rack until room temperature. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate up to two days.
When ready to serve, run a thin sharp knife down the side of the pan to loosen. Turn cheesecake over onto a large plate or cookie sheet. Remove the parchment paper. Place a dessert plate on top of the crust and flip the cake over.
Topping:
1 cup of whipping cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
Whip cream and sugar together. Spread on top of cheesecake. If you prefer a sour cream topping, blend powdered sugar with 1 cup of sour cream and spread on top after unmolding
A half hour after I placed my cheesecake in the oven, the power went off! I adjusted my baking time with my fingers crossed. I guess you could call it an “AEL&P special!” Have a happy Thanksgiving everyone.
• Patty Schied is a longtime Juneau resident who studied at the Cordon Bleu in London, has cooked meals for both AWARE and the Glory Hall, and has written a cookbook. Cooking For Pleasure appears every other week in Capital City Weekly.
