Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake

This recipe came to me by a rather convoluted route. Someone on Serious Eats posted a comment about it, so I went to Smitten Kitchen to find it. But the original recipe came from Gourmet Magazine.

I have no idea how close this is to the original, but this is how I made it for Thanksgiving.

I don't normally make untested recipes for holidays, unless I've got a backup. Usually I'll try a recipe at least once before the big event, just to make sure it works.

This time, it was a first run. If it failed completely, I had pumpkin ice cream in the freezer, and some maple whipped cream ready to go, to add a little pizazz to the ice cream.

That would have been fine, but not as impressive as a cheesecake.

Luckily, it worked out.

Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake
Adapted from Gourmet, November 2003 via Smitten Kitchen
Serves 12 to 14

For the crust:
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (I used home made graham crackers)
1/2 cup pecans (1 3/4 ounce), finely chopped
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the filling:
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
3 large eggs
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon bourbon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese at room temperature

For the topping:
2 cups sour cream (20 ounces by weight)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon
Garnish: pecan halves

To make the crust:
Butter a 9-inch springform pan and wrap the outside in aluminum foil to contain leaks.

Stir together crumbs, pecans, sugars, and butter in a bowl until combined well. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan. Chill for at least 1 hour.

To make the filling and bake the cheesecake:

Put oven rack in middle position and -preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium bowl whisk the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cream, vanilla, and bourbon until well combined.

In a large bowl, stir the granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt together. Add cream cheese and beat with an electric mixer at high speed until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add pumpkin mixture and beat until smooth at medium speed.

Pour filling into the crust and smooth the top. Bake until center is just set, 50 to 60 minutes. (Note: I baked mine for 70 minutes, and it was still more jiggly than I thought it should be. Since there was more baking to come, I took it out after 70, but it could have gone another 10 minutes. This might be a recipe flaw, or more likely because I'm at high altitude. Keep it in mind when you're making it, though.)

Transfer to rack and cool 5 minutes. Leave the oven on - the cheesecake is going back.

To make the topping: 
In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream, sugar, and bourbon together until well combined. Spread this mixture over the top of the cheesecake. Bake for an 5 additional minutes. (Note: I thought it needed more baking, so I let it go another 5 minutes. It would have been better to bake longer the first time, but it worked out.)

Cool cheesecake completely in pan on rack, about 3 hours. (Note: at this point, the cheesecake was still a little wobbly, and I was concerned, but it was too late.)

Chill, covered, until cold, at least 4 hours. Remove side of pan and bring to room temperature before serving.

Note: The cheesecake was no longer jiggly after cooling, but it was still a little softer than most cheesecakes, and it sunk a bit in the center. The topping covered that flaw, before serving, but after cutting you could see that the topping was thicker in the center.

Still a really good cheesecake, but it could have cooked another 10 minutes, possibly more, for the first bake.

Wine Sourdough

I've been having so much fun reading the comments about my Sourdough Starter-Along series on Serious Eats and the comment from Facebook friends.

And then, a comment by dhorst on SE about her grape-infused starter named Blossom made me think about the wine flour I got from Marche Noir Foods. This is a flour-like product that's made from the leftovers after grapes have been pressed to make wine. It's a dark purple and smells sort of like raisins.

I've had this wine flour sitting here, waiting for inspiration to strike. I was thinking I might save it for cookies or some baked good for Christmas, but I just hadn't settled on a particular recipe... and then I saw dhorst's post and I knew I had to give it a try.

Now, I've got a new starter using the usual all purpose flour and water, but with the addition of one teaspoon of the wine flour. I have no idea if this will work or not. It's a pretty color, though.

And meanwhile, I'm still pondering other recipes where I can incorporate the wine flour. We'll see how it goes.

Holiday Crescent Cookies

I was first introduced to these cookies as a child when we'd visit relatives on Christmas Eve every year. These powdery delights were my favorite, and when I got old enough to be interested, I asked my aunt for the recipe. I was crushed when I found out they were bakery cookies, but eventually I found a recipe that was similar.

Then I found a lot of recipes, with a lot of names. These could be Mexican Wedding Cookies or they could be Snowballs, but when the winter holidays roll around, these become Crescent Cookies at my house.

It's easier to make a round ball and be done with it, but the familiar crescent shape reminds me of those long-ago holidays when the most pressing question was whether Santa made it to our house while we were out, or if he was working the late shift and would be stopping by after we were all asleep.

One trick to these cookies is rolling them in the powdered sugar at just the right time. If you do it when the cookies are warm, the sugar will melt and it will be a mess. Wait until the cookies are stone cold, and the sugar won't stick nearly as well. And we all know that the powdered sugar clinging to them is a critical part of the fun as it sprinkles down when you eat them.

Walnuts or pecans are my favorites in these cookies, but you could use any nut you like. Chop them finely, but don't let them turn completely into dust - you want some small bits and pieces in these cookies.

Holiday Crescent Cookies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup finely chopped Marcona almonds

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the vanilla and beat in. Add the flour and nuts and blend well.

Gather the dough and wrap it in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Break off small balls of dough - about a tablespoon or so - and form them into crescent shapes.

Note: when the dough is right out of the refrigerator, it might be a bit too firm to form. It's fine to let it sit out for a short while to warm up.

Place them formed cookies on the baking sheet, leaving space between them. When you've used up all the dough (or the sheet is full) bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes. The cookies will be lightly browned on the bottom and the edges, but otherwise still very pale.

Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a minute or two to firm up (they're crumbly while warm) then transfer to a rack to cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.