I’m one of those people who can spend whole days trying to finalize a dinner-party menu. The same rings true when I’m finalizing a dish for a potluck or party, especially when meeting strangers who know me only as “the food writer.” To me, it means that whatever dish I hold in my hands while standing on the doorstep of said potluck has to be flawless, or my reputation as a food writer is nil. There’s no room for error. (Cue anxiety.)

Luckily, I have a few back-pocket recipes I whip out in my moments of extreme social anxiety, like the below recipe for pumpkin cheesecake. Found it on Epicurious – along with a few other recipes to throw in the mix to make it sing: caramel sauce, candied pecans and a caramel whipped topping. Why is this two-day bake-monster one of my go-to staples? For one, it’s a showstopper. With toppings, it stands rather tall, and I’ve always felt that taller cakes and cheesecakes are more worthy of bakery-windows and food-porn admiration than shorter, wider cakes. The toppings also act as distractions layered on top, so you can mask virtually any imperfections (i.e., cracks, bubbles, etc.).

For the sake of this post, I’ve combined and reworded the Epicurious recipes to omit the things I didn’t do and include the things I did. (Click on “Read the rest of this entry” for recipe)

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE WITH CANDIED PECANS AND CARAMEL SAUCE

• Adapted from Epicurious recipes
• Yield: 10 to 12 servings
• For crust:
  1 1/2 cups ground gingersnap cookies
  1 1/2 cups toasted pecans (about 6 ounces)
  1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Procedure:
1. Grind ground cookies, pecans and sugar in a food processor until crumbly. Add melted butter and blend until combined.
2. Press crust mixture onto bottom and up sides of 9-inch-diameter springform pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Set aside until ready to bake with filling.

• For cheesecake:
  4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
  1 2/3 cups sugar
  1 1/2 cups canned solid pack pumpkin
  4 tablespoons whipping cream
  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  1 teaspoon ground allspice
  4 large eggs

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Using mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar until light. Add pumpkin, 4 tablespoons whipping cream, ground cinnamon and ground allspice to mixture in large bowl and beat until well combined. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating just until they are incorporated.

2. Pour filling into crust (filling will almost fill pan). Bake until cheesecake puffs, top browns and center moves only slightly when pan is shaken, about 1 hour 15 minutes.

3. Transfer cheesecake to rack and cool 10 minutes. Run small sharp knife around cake pan sides to loosen cheesecake. Cool. Cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.

• For caramel sauce:
  1 1/2 cups sugar
  1/2 cup water
  3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  1 cup whipping cream

Procedure:
1. While cheesecake is baking, stir sugar and 1/2 cup water in heavy large saucepan (I recommend a Le Creuset pot) over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves.

2. Increase heat; boil without stirring until syrup turns deep amber, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with pastry brush dipped into water and swirling pan, about 12 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in butter.

3. Gradually add cream (mixture will bubble vigorously). Stir over low heat until smooth. Cool to lukewarm before serving. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover; chill. Rewarm over low heat, stirring occasionally.)

• For whipped cream:
  2 cups heavy whipping cream
  Caramel sauce (recipe above)

1. In a medium-sized bowl, whip heavy cream until barely stiff. Drizzle in caramel sauce one tablespoon at a time, until whipped cream reaches desired taste. Reserve leftover caramel sauce for topping.

• For candied pecans:
  1 large egg white
  1/2 cup sugar
  1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  2 cups pecan halves (8 to 9 ounces)

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Brush large rimmed baking sheet with butter.

2. Whisk egg white in bowl until foamy. Add sugar, spices, and salt. Whisk until mixture is thick and opaque. Add pecans; stir until coated. Using forks, transfer nuts to sheet, spacing apart; discard remaining coating.

3. Bake nuts until deep golden brown, about 35 minutes. Cool completely on sheet. Transfer to container; cover and store at room temperature. (Can be made 4 days ahead.)

Cheesecake assembly:
1. Release cheesecake from springform pan and place on cake plate or other serving dish. Using a pastry bag or spatula, place caramel whipped cream on top of cheesecake. Drizzle leftover caramel sauce over whipped cream. Top with candied pecans and serve. Phew!

Side note: March Madness is a month-long challenge in which I will post Monday through Friday for the entire month. I hope you will humor me in reading!

– Cynthia Furey

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 3rd, 2009 at 3:18 pm and is filed under Baking/desserts, Cake, In the kitchen. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.