Cheesecake

Perhaps you're still wondering what to do with all of that pumpkin puree you just made after my pumpkin puree tutorial. Yes? Here's a pumpkin recipe that you must try if you like pumpkin. Me? I'm not a pumpkin fan at all, but I love cheesecake. My Lutheran Stud loves pumpkin pie, so why not put the two together and see what happens?

Start by preparing your pumpkin pie mixture.

Add a little of the cream cheese mixrture. Then mix it all until it looks like this.

Put the pumpkin mixture into a pie pan that is waiting patiently with a cream cheese crust inside.

Pour your cream cheese mixture over the pumpkin mixture. Then take a toothpick and swirl it around until it looks pretty, or if you have no idea what you're doing just swirl it around. It might look horrible, but don't worry, looks aren't everything.

Bake that cheesecake in the oven and when you pull it out it will look just fine. It will look like you meant for it to look the way that it does. Kind of pretty, right?

Have your daughter make a pie bunting with alphabet soup letters to distract guests from looking too closely at the cheesecake.

Slice and serve cool. It doesn't really look that bad, right? Anyone? It tasted great and that's all that matters. While I'm not a pumpkin fan this cheesecake was pretty darn fabulous, so you'll have to try making it for yourself. it was pretty easy too. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl Cheesecake

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 1/4 cup evaporated milk
• 3 eggs
• 12 ounces cream cheese
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup sour cream
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350˚F. 

Roll dough out into 12 inch round on a lightly floured surface.

Whisk pumpkin, evaporated milk, 1 egg, 1/3 cup sugar, and all the spices.

Separately, combine 12 ounces softenend cream cheese, 1/3 cup each of sour cream and sugar, and  eggs. Stir 1/3 of this batter into the pumpkin filling. 

Pour the pumpkin filling into the crust. Then top with the remaining cream cheese mixture; swirl with a toothpick. Bake for 50 minutes.

Cream Cheese Crust

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups al-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 6 Tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 ounces cold cream cheese, cut into pieces
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Pulse the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor, or mix by hand. Add the butter and pulse until it is the size of peas. Add the cream cheese and pulse until it is the size of peas. Add the vinegar and 2 Tablespoons of ice water and pulse a few times, until dough holds together when squeezed. Gather into a ball on a sheet of plastic wrap. Pat into a disk, wrap and chill at least 4 hours.