Pumpkin Hazelnut Cheesecake Food

THE BEST PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.
• For the crust: Add the gingersnap cookies, melted butter and salt to a food processor. Process until the crumb mixture looks like coarse sand, about 30 seconds. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch springform pan. Bake the crust until it is fragrant and golden brown, about 12 minutes.
• Remove the crust to a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes. Wrap the bottom and sides of the pan tightly with foil and place in a roasting pan.
• For the filling: Add the cream cheese to a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar and beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed with a rubber spatula, until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Add the sour cream, vanilla and salt and beat just until combined.
• Scoop 3 cups of the cheesecake filling into a medium bowl. Add the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and 1/4 cup water and stir with a rubber spatula until well combined. Bring a pot or kettle of water to a boil.
• Fill a 1-cup measure with plain cheesecake filling and pour into the center of the cooled crust. Fill a 1-cup measure with pumpkin filling and pour into the center of the plain filling. The batter will spread as you add alternating scoops, widening to form concentric circles. Repeat with the remaining batter in 1/2-cup increments alternating between flavors, until all the batter is used.
• Carefully place the roasting pan in the oven (don't pull the rack out of the oven). Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan to come about halfway up the sides of the foil-wrapped pan.
• Bake until the top of the cheesecake is lightly browned around the edges, but the center is still jiggly, about 1 hour 20 minutes. Turn the oven off and let the cheesecake sit in the oven until the center becomes just slightly jiggly, about 1 hour (see Cook's Note).
• Carefully remove the cheesecake from the roasting pan to a wire rack. Cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to overnight.
• For the spiced pumpkin seeds: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Toss the pumpkin seeds, oil, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt and cloves in a small bowl. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet and roast until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• For the pumpkin caramel: Melt the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat until caramelized and dark amber (a digital instant-read or candy thermometer should register 245 degrees F), about 4 minutes, stirring occasionally with a whisk. Lower the heat to low. Carefully whisk in the heavy cream and butter and continue stirring until melted, about 1 minute. Whisk in the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, ginger and cloves until combined. Remove from heat and let cool slightly before serving.
• To serve: Let the cheesecake sit at room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Unlock the springform pan and remove the ring. Sprinkle the spiced pumpkin seeds around the top outer edge of the cheesecake. Dip a knife in a warm water and wipe dry before slicing each piece. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream and a drizzle of the pumpkin caramel.

ALMOST-FAMOUS PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F.
• Brush a 10-inch springform pan with some of the butter. Stir the remaining butter with the crumbs, 1/4 cup of the sugar and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and up the sides of the pan, packing it tightly and evenly. Bake until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool on a rack, then wrap the outside of the springform pan with foil and place in a roasting pan.
• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, beat the cream cheese with a mixer until smooth. Add the remaining 2 1/2 cups sugar and beat until just light, scraping down the sides of the bowl and beaters as needed. Beat in the sour cream, then add the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, 1 teaspoon salt and the spices and beat until just combined. Pour into the cooled crust.
• Gently place the roasting pan in the oven (don't pull the rack out) and pour the boiling water into the roasting pan until it comes about halfway up the side of the springform pan. Bake until the outside of the cheesecake sets but the center is still loose, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and open the door briefly to let out some heat. Leave the cheesecake in the oven for 1 more hour, then carefully remove from the roasting pan and cool on a rack. Run a knife around the edges, cover and refrigerate at least 8 hours or overnight.
• Bring the cheesecake to room temperature 30 minutes before serving. Unlock and remove the springform ring. To finish, place a dollop of the whipped cream on each slice and sprinkle with the toasted pecans.

PUMPKIN HAZELNUT CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Spread the pumpkin puree on a couple of layers of paper towels to get rid of any excess moisture. Let drain for several hours.
• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9-inch nonstick springform pan. Put a kettle on to heat up some water. You'll need this for your water bath.
• Put the graham crackers, hazelnuts and brown sugar in a food processor fitted with the blade and pulse until the mixture becomes a fine crumb. Drizzle melted butter on top and pulse until just mixed and resembles wet sand. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared springform. Place the crust in the center of the oven for 10 minutes or until it starts to turn a little golden. Set aside to cool. Once cooled, spread the chocolate hazelnut spread over the crust, wrap the bottom of the springform pan in two layers of foil and set in the center of a roasting pan.
• Increase your oven temperature to 400 F.
• Put the cream cheese and granulated sugar in an electric-stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on low until smooth. A couple of notes here... First, if you don't have an electric-stand mixer you can use your beautiful arms and a spatula to beat it into submission. Second, you don't want to add too much air, at any point, into this creamy mixture. Too much air can make unsightly cracks on your cheesecake. Thus keep it to a low-speed beating as much as possible. Once the cream cheese is smooth, add the salt, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Scrape the pumpkin off of the paper towels and in with the cream cheese mixture. Mix until completely combined taking care to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixing bowl so that everything is incorporated (do this periodically). Add the eggs, one at a time, making sure they are completely blended before adding the next. Lastly, add in the cream and vanilla. If you have any rogue bits that are still in chunks, smash them against the bowl to smooth out or you can pass the mixture through a sieve to eradicate any chunks. Pour the mixture on top of the hazelnut spread and place the roasting pan in the center of the oven.
• Pour your boiling water in the roasting pan being careful not to get any water in the springform pan with your cheesecake. Fill to about 1 cm up the side of the cheesecake pan. Should be about 3 to 4 cups of water.
• Bake for 15 minutes and then turn the temperature to 250 F and bake for 1 hour more.
• When the timer goes off, turn the oven off and let the pumpkin hazelnut cheesecake sit in the oven for 30 minutes, with the door open. Transfer to the counter to cool for several hours more. Once cool to the touch, wrap tightly and place in the fridge until ready to serve.
• When ready to serve, take the side of the springform pan off...you may need a knife to gently run along the side. Periodically clean the knife with a damp cloth to keep everything as clean and smooth as possible. Follow this advice when cutting slices. Garnish the top with raw hazelnuts + sea salt flakes.

PUMPKIN HAZELNUT CHEESECAKE WITH WHISKEY SAUCE

Steps:

• Prepare crust in advance. Combine crust ingredients, and press on bottom and approximately 2" up the sides of a greased 9" springform pan. Freeze for 20 minutes.
• While crust is chilling, combine all filling ingredients and beat until smooth. Pour into prepared crust.
• Bake 350 degrees for 50 - 55 minutes, or until center is firm. Remove from oven when done, allow to cool completely, and refrigerate overnight.
• When ready to cut into slices, use knife to loosen edge of cake from pan, then release the springform sides and remove cheesecake.
• Top with chilled Grand Marnier Whipped Cream and drizzle generously with warm Whiskey Sauce for the most decadent holiday delight you'll ever taste!

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE WITH HAZELNUT CRUST

Steps:

• For crust: Toast nuts in oven for 10 minutes at 350.
• Cool slightly and rub off skins.
• Place nuts in food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped.
• Add sugar and process until nuts are finely chopped, but not greasy.
• Combin nut mixture with butter.
• Pat into bottom of 9" sprinform pan and bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
• Cool before filling.
• For filling: Stir together sugar, spices, and cornstarch.
• Beat cream cheese until smooth.
• Gradually add sugar mixture, scraping sides of bowl often.
• Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well.
• Beat in pumpkin until just blended.
• Pour into crust-lined pan.
• Place pan of water in bottom of oven.
• Bake cake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
• Reduce oven to 300 and bake another 30 minutes.
• Remove cake from oven and place on cooling rack.
• Cover with a large bowl or pot so that it cools slowly.
• Cool completely before serving.

PUMPKIN FRANGELICO CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Grind gingersnaps finely; add sugar and mix well. Add butter and mix well. Then press into bottom of 9-inch springform pan. Refrigerate until ready to use. Position rack in middle of oven. Then preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Blend all ingredients until completely smooth. Pour filling into pan. Bake until edges of cake begin to pull away from sides of pan and cake begins to brown, almost 55 minutes.
• Blend items for topping well. Without removing cake from oven, pour evenly over cake, starting at edges, spread if necessary. Bake 10 minutes. Remove and cool on rack. Refrigerate for 12 hours.
• Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving.

FRANGELICO (HAZELNUT) CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Place oven rack in the middle of the oven.
• Toast the hazelnuts: Lay hazelnuts on a cookie sheet and toast at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes until lightly browned and skins are beginning to crack. Wrap in a towl and let steam for 1 minute. Rub hazelnuts in the towel to remove some of the skins. Grind coarsely and let cool. Keep the oven at 350.
• Make the crust: Combine all crust ingredients except the butter in a food processor until well mixed. Cut the butter into cubes and incorporate into other ingredients for about 1 minute. Press firmly onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan (I use bottom of flat glass). Bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
• Make the cheesecake: Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees and place a pan half-filled with water in the bottom rack. Melt the chocolate and set aside. (Tip: if melting in the microwave, heat in intervals of 30 seconds and stir. Should take no more than 1 minute on high). On low speed, beat cream cheese until smooth. Slowly mix in the sugar, flour and frangelico. Keep scraping down the sides of the bowl. One at a time, beat in the eggs on low speed.
• Take 1/2 cup of the cheesecake batter and mix it with the chocolate.
• Pour cheesecake batter into pan. The chocolate mixture can either be placed in a bag for piping or dropped by spoonfuls into the batter and swirled for a marbled effect.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Decrease oven temperature and bake at 225 degrees for about 1 hour. Towards the end of the baking time, check for doneness. Move the cheesecake pan slightly -- if the edges are set and the center is still wobbly the cheesecake is done. Turn the oven off and prop the door open with an oven mitt. Let cool inside the oven for at least an hour. Let cool on a counter until the pan is cool. Place in the refrigerator uncovered to chill and set. The cheesecake must be chilled for at least 24 hours.

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE IN A GINGERSNAP CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9 inch springform pan.
• Using a fork, combine gingersnaps, hazelnuts, 3 tablespoons brown sugar and melted butter. Press mixture onto the bottom and two inches up the sides of the pan to form the crust.
• With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the pumpkin. Mix in the cream, maple syrup, cinnamon, allspice and vanilla. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing until smooth.
• Pour batter into prepared crust. Bake in the preheated oven for 90 minutes, or until center of cheesecake is set. Allow to cool in pan for 30 minutes, then refrigerate overnight.

LAYERED CHOCOLATE-HAZELNUT PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F.
• Combine gingersnap crumbs and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.
• Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add pumpkin; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing on low speed after each just until blended. Measure 2 cups batter into separate bowl. Add chocolate-hazelnut spread; mix well. Stir pumpkin spice into remaining batter.
• Pour chocolate batter over crust; cover with pumpkin batter.
• Bake 50 min. to 1 hour or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool before removing rim. Refrigerate cheesecake 4 hours.

PUMPKIN HAZELNUT CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Combine ginger snaps and sugar in food processor and process until fine.
• With machine running, add melted butter and process until crumbly.
• Pat into bottom of 9-inch spring-form pan.
• Freeze for 20 minutes.
• In food processor or by hand, beat cream cheese, pumpkin, eggs, sugar, 1/2 cup Frangelico, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and vanilla until completely smooth.
• Pour into prepared crust and bake at 350F for 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, whisk together the sour cream, confectioners sugar and Frangelico for topping.
• Carefully pour over top of hot cake, smoothing with a spatula.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes longer or until edges begin to bubble.
• Remove from oven, cool completely and refrigerate overnight.
• To serve, run a small knife around the edge of the cake and then release the spring form.
• Transfer to serving platter.
• Decorate with whipped cream and whole hazelnuts.
• Leave cake at room temperature for 45 minutes before serving to improve flavor.