Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

Pumpkin Pie and Cheesecake. Together as one. Brilliant.
I was going to post the two desserts that I made ahead of time for Thanksgiving in the same post, but I took way too many pictures of this cheesecake and they turned out pretty good, so it gets its own post.
I saw this recipe in Better Homes and Gardens Magazine and the picture was just so gorgeous, plus it sounded delicious, so I made it right away.
I didn't know what I was going to do with an entire cheesecake though, so I divided the recipe into 5ths (since there were 5 eggs and I didn't want to half an egg) and then doubled the 1/5th, so I made 2/5ths of the recipe. (Sounds more confusing than it was).
I made 4 mini cheesecakes with my 3 or 4-inch springform pans. I had to taste a tiny bit and then I took them to my hubby's work where they were a hit.

The thing that really got me excited about this dessert is the fact that it really doesn't have a million calories or a trillion grams of fat in it, because most of the filling is pumpkin puree.
If you have 1/14th of the normal sized cheesecake it has less than 350 calories and 16 grams of fat. (The saturated fat is high, but something has to give, right?)
That seems very unusual for a cheesecake type dessert that doesn't claim to be low-fat.
Anyway, you probably think I don't care about calories and fat because I make so much dessert, but I do. I am a healthy eater that loves to bake.
Anyway, enough about all that boring nutrition information.
You must make this dessert.
The crust is made up of gingersnap crumbs with a little bit of brown sugar.
The texture is amazing. It has the flavor of pumpkin pie, but the filling is so smooth and light. It is the texture of cheesecake with the flavor of pumpkin pie. It is perfect.
The cranberry topping is amazing with it. If you crave pumpkin and cranberry together, this is your dessert. The cheesecake isn't overly sweet, but with the tart cranberry sauce it is magnificent. I am making a full-sized Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake for Thanksgiving. You should too.


Recipe for Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake

TWD-Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie with Mango

Sometimes a recipe in Baking:from my home to yours looks so good, that I just can't wait for someone to choose it for Tuesday's with Dorie.
Such is the case with the Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie, which I opted to make with the mango that Dorie suggests in the Playing Around section.

I made this at Thanksgiving last year because I wanted something a little bit tropical to go along with the other desserts we had.

You can find my post and my version of the recipe HERE. Instead of the normal pie crust called for, I made a gingersnap/macadamia nut/ crystallized ginger crust- the crust from this recipe.

I also reduced the amount of butter in the filling by 2 sticks. Yes, you heard me right. I left out 2 sticks of butter in the filling. The lime cream filling in this pie is almost exactly the same as the lemon filling in The Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart that we made last year for TWD. I remember tasting the cream before I blended in the 2+ sticks of butter for that tart and thinking that it tasted better without all the butter, so this time I just left it out. I think I added 3 Tbls and that is it.

I also doubled the meringue because I wanted it to be tall and tasty.

Thanks to Linda of Tender Crumb for choosing this great-tasting pie. You can find the recipe on Linda's blog also, as well as some beautiful pictures. Make sure you check out the rest of the TWD Blogroll to find a million great variations of this pie!

Lime Shortbread Cookies with White Chocolate and Almonds, Giant Chocolate Sugar Cookies and Chewy Ginger Cookies

My younger brother asked me if I would make him some cookies to take to school for a class activity. I said sure and then tried to narrow it down to 3 cookie recipes that I wanted to make.
I spotted the shortbread recipe in Bon Appetit and wanted to try it, partly because of the flavors, but also because it is baked in a 9x13-inch pan, so it would be hard to mess up and easy to get the triangles all the same size. It was a great success! The cookies were the perfect size and my brother said that they tasted great.
I wanted to make the ginger cookies when I saw them in Health magazine and I had just enough crystallized ginger to do the recipe. These were nice and spicy and really chewy. My brothers favorite.
The chocolate cookies were made because I needed another fast cookie and I thought something chocolately would be perfect.
I didn't make them as big as the recipe said, because I wanted enough for the entire class to share.
They were all a success. No leftovers came back with my brother!

Lime Shortbread Cookies with White Chocolate and Almonds Bon Appétit April 2009
by The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen
A buttery shortbread with bright lime flavor and a crunchy topping.

Yield: Makes 24

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours 15 minutes (includes cooling time)
2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

3 tablespoons finely grated lime peel, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 3.5-ounce bar high-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina), finely chopped

1/2 cup chopped toasted almonds

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch metal baking pan. Blend flour, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter, 2 tablespoons lime peel, and vanilla; process just until blended and dough forms clumps. Press evenly into prepared baking pan. Pierce dough all over with fork. Using sharp knife, cut dough into 12 squares, cutting through dough completely, then cut each square in half on diagonal, forming 24 triangles total.
Bake shortbread until golden brown, crisp around edges, and firm to touch, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven. Using sharp knife, immediately recut shortbread, gently separating triangles. Cool shortbread in pan on rack.
Place white chocolate in small metal bowl. Set bowl over small saucepan of gently simmering water and stir just until chocolate is melted and smooth. Remove bowl from over water. Using fork, drizzle melted chocolate in zigzag pattern over shortbread. Sprinkle evenly with almonds and remaining 1 tablespoon lime peel. Let stand until chocolate sets, about 1 hour.


Chewy Ginger Cookies from Health Magazine

Prep: 15 minutes

Chill: 2 hours

Bake: 15 minutes

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chopped crystallized ginger

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 large egg3 tablespoons molasses

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1. Combine first 5 ingredients (through crystallized ginger) in a bowl.

2. Beat next 4 ingredients (through brown sugar) with an electric mixer at medium speed. Add dry ingredients; mix until just blended. Wrap in plastic; chill 2 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 350°. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.

4. Fill 2 bowls: 1 with cold water, 1 with granulated sugar. Dampen hands in water; form a 1-inch ball of dough. Roll in sugar; place on baking sheet. Make cookies; place 3 inches apart and lightly flatten tops. Bake 13–15 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through. Remove from oven; cool 2 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.


Giant Chocolate Sugar Cookies from Martha Stewarts Cookies
Ingredients
Makes 8.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup good-quality unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening, substitute 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 375. Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.
Put butter and sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy. Mix in shortening (or additional butter). Add egg and vanilla; mix until creamy. Reduce speed to low. Gradually add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.
Using a 2 1/2-inch ice cream scoop, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing about 4 inches apart. Bake until edges are firm, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored in an airtight container up to 2 days.

Coming Next- Lemon Angel Food cupcakes

Late Start Breakfast- Gingersnap Pancakes

I saw a recipe in the latest issue of Everyday with Rachael Ray that featured gingersnap pancakes, but filled them with espresso cream and covered them with chocolate ganache. It was a cute idea, but I thought that the pancakes themselves would be really good. So, I just used the pancake recipe and switched a couple of things and served them with raspberries and pure maple syrup. They were yummy.
Be sure to watch them and not cook them too long, because it will turn the texture into something chewy and un-pancake like, fast. They only need to cook for about a minute or less.

Gingersnap Pancakes adapted from Everyday with Rachael Ray
10 gingersnap cookies
1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup skim milk
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 Tbls unsalted butter

1. Using a blender or food processor, grind the cookies at high speed. Add the flour, milk, eggs, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt; blend until smooth. In a small saucepan or the microwave, melt 3 tablespoons butter over low heat. Add to the batter; blend at medium speed until combined

.2. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Pour batter into circles 2-3 inches in diameter. Cook until bubbles appear on the surface, about 30 seconds. Flip and cook until springy to the touch, 20 seconds; transfer to a plate.
Serve with raspberries and pure maple syrup.


Up next- Dorie's White Chocolate Brownies

Pies with That- Holiday Songs- Dorie's Creamiest Lime-Mango Meringue Pie with Ginger-Macadamia Crust

This month's theme for You Want Pies with That? is Holiday Songs, chosen by Anne Strawberry. Pretty fun, if you ask me. I don't know for sure what my favorite holiday song is, I like them all. I like singing them, playing them on the piano, humming them, or listening to them on the radio. I decided to do a play on a holiday song- It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas.
I do not love snow or cold weather, but I do enjoy a white christmas. I thought I would make a tropical pie, so I could pretend that it isn't cold and snowy (Well, it isn't snowy yet, but it is cold). So, my pie is the opposite of my song.
For the crust, I found a recipe that used ground gingersnaps, macadamia nuts, and crystallized ginger, so it was nice and spicy. I decided to fill my pie with Dorie's Creamiest Lime Cream because she says " I save this pie for summer because, as fresh as lime and ginger taste on their own, when they're mixed together, they turn uber-zingy and so cool you'd think they'd been in the deep freeze. It may be an illusion, but one you'll be happy to play along with on a sweltering day." And what the heck, why not make it a little more tropical by throwing a ripe mango in the middle of the cream, like Dorie suggests.
So I pretended it was a hot, sweltering day and made this pie. I increased the amount of meringue, so I would get some height and have enough to cover the pie and also reduced the amount of butter in the filling by 2 sticks, because I have made Dorie's Lemon Cream before; that cream is just like this one, and I liked the flavor better without all the butter. So, if you were wishing you were on a tropical island because It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas- this is the pie for you!

Dorie's Creamiest Lime-Mango Meringue Pie with Ginger-Macadamia Crust

for the crust: (recipe from epicurious.com)

1 1/3 cups ground gingersnaps cookies
1 3 1/2-ounce jar toasted macadamia nuts
1/4 cup packed golden brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

for the filling: ( adapted from Dorie Greenspan's Baking from my home to yours)

1 cup sugar

grated zest of 3 limes

4 large eggs, preferably at room temperature

3/4 cup fresh lime juice ( from about 6 limes)

1 1-inch chunk of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

2 tsps cornstarch

3 Tbls unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into chunks

1 ripe mango, peeled, cut into cubes, and sprinkled with a little fresh lime juice

for the meringue: (adapted from Dorie's Baking)

6 large egg whites, at room temperature

3/4 cup sugar

For crust:Preheat oven to 350 °F. Generously butter 9-inch-diameter spring-form pan with 2 3/4-inch-high sides. Finely grind first 4 ingredients in processor. Add butter; blend until crumbs are moistened. Press mixture on bottom and 1 3/4 inches up sides of pan. Bake until crust is set, about 8 minutes. Transfer to rack, cool.

For the filling: Have an instant-read thermometer, a strainer, and a blender at hand. Bring a few inches of water to a simmer in a saucepan.

Put the sugar and zest in a large heatproof bowl that can be set over the pan of simmering water. Off the heat, rub the sugar and zest together with your fingertips, until the sugar is moist and fragrance of lime is strong. Whisk in the eggs, then whisk in the juice, ginger and cornstarch. Set the bowl over the pan and start stirring with a whisk. Cook the lime cream until is reaches 180 degrees F, whisking constantly. As you whisk, the cream will start out light and foamy, then the bubbles will get bigger, and then, as it gets closer to 180 degrees F, it will start to thicken and the whisk will leave tracks. It won't be done yet, keep whisking and checking the temp, this could take up to 10 minutes or more.

As soon as it reaches 180 degrees F, remove the cream from the heat and strain the cream into the container of a blender; discard the zest. Let it cool until it reaches 140 degrees F, about 10 minutes.

Turn the blender to high speed and add the butter a piece at a time. Scrape down the sides of the container and continue to blend for about a minute more. Pour the cream into a container, press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.

To finish the pie with the meringue- Preheat the broiler. Whisk the cream to loosen it and spoon about 1/3 of it into the cooled crust. Top with the diced mango and Cover with the remaining cream.

With the whisk attachment of your mixer, whip the egg whites at medium speed until opaque. With the mixer running, add the sugar in a slow stream and continue to beat until the whites are glossy and form firm peaks.

Spread the meringue over the lime filling, swirling it if you'd like. Make sure the meringue comes all the way to the edges of the crust, because it will shrink when it bakes.

Run the pie under the broiler until the meringue is golden and the tips are dark brown. Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for about 15 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

Up Tomorrow- Craving Ellie in my Belly- Jewel Roasted Vegetables

You Want Pies With That?- "A Lot Like Love" Fresh Peach-Raspberry Pie with White Chocolate Mousse, Raspberry Coulis, and Fresh Peach Sorbet

WARNING- (This will be the sappiest, corniest, cheesiest post I ever write, but it all had to do with keeping the theme, so read on and forgive me ahead of time!)

"A Lot Like Love" Pie- 1- "A little goes a long way"

2- "Sometimes it gets a little messy"

3- "You have to wait for it, it is just that good"

Welcome to a new event, You Want Pies with That? Susie was inspired when she watched the movie, Waitress, a great film, where the main character invents pies with great names to describe what is going on in her life. Susie asked a few of us to join her and this group was born! The point of this group is to invent Pies!

Our first theme is "I love that Movie!" We got to choose a movie and create a pie that ties into it, be it by food, theme, a phrase, or whatever. This was really fun for me. I came up with about a million different movies and fun pies that would go along with them, but in the end, I just liked how this movie fit my pie.

A little background on my movie choice. This summer a dear friend, her little sister and I went to the drive-in, just for fun. We saw a movie that wasn't that great that starred Ashton Kutcher. I remembered that I don't like him when he plays characters that are supposed to be funny, I remembered I liked him once, when he played a more serious role. My friend hadn't seen that movie, so we rented it later that week. This same friend just happened to be in town when I was inventing my pie, so that made it even more fun. I love the movie- "A Lot Like Love", it follows 2 people who have a chance encounter and follows them through the years, they keep meeting up, but the timing is never right. I won't ruin the ending if you haven't seen it, but I loved this movie. It is quirky, fun and has great music.

I decided to create "A Lot Like Love" Pie. It starts with a Spicy Gingersnap Graham Pecan Crust, because well, we all need a little spice and zing in our lives, right?

Next, comes the Fresh Peach and Raspberry Layers. This pie has lots of layers, because love is multi-layered, it is deep and there is always something more that you can give or get.

Then comes the White Chocolate Mousse, decadent and wonderful.

Top it off with Fresh Peach Sorbet and Raspberry Coulis, both fresh, beautiful,and tart, giving this pie just a little bit more!

This pie is "a lot like love" because it is multilayered-there is alot going on in and around this pie, but all the layers go so well with each other. It is sweet and fresh, rich and creamy, spicy and nutty, all at the same time. It reminds me of the last fruits and days of summer, you want that last peach to last forever, just like you want love to do the same. So, savor it slowly, and enjoy, it just might last forever!

"A Lot Like Love" Pie- Fresh Peach and Raspberry Pie in a Spicy Gingersnap Graham Pecan Crust with White Chocolate Mousse, Raspberry Coulis, and Fresh Peach Sorbet by Mary Ann

Make the crust first. When it is almost cool, make fresh peach filling and fresh raspberry layer.

Add raspberry layer to cooled crust and spread to make even and smooth. Pour fresh peach filling over top, smooth with a rubber spatula to make even, and cover with foil and refrigerate.

Next, make the white chocolate mousse and refrigerate.

Make raspberry coulis and refrigerate.

When pie and mousse have been in the fridge for at least 2 hours, dollop mousse in blobs on top of peach filling and very carefully spread mousse to edges of pie. Cover with a plate and refrigerate for 24 hours.

Now make Fresh Peach Sorbet.

When ready to serve, drizzle raspberry coulis onto plate, carefully slice and plate pie, garnish with sorbet and more coulis. Enjoy!

Spicy Gingersnap Graham Pecan Crust by Mary Ann

1/3 cup pecans, toasted

5 gingersnaps

1 1/3 cup graham cracker crumbs

3 Tbls sugar

4 T butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place toasted pecans and gingersnaps in a food processor. Process until mixture is fine crumbs, but watch carefully so it doesn't get too moist. Tranfer to a bowl. Add graham cracker crumbs and sugar. Mix with hands until well combined. Add melted butter and mix until butter is mixed in. Press into a 9-inch glass pie plate and bake for 10 minutes. Place on wire rack and let cool completely before filling.

Fresh Peach Filling adapted from Nancy Morgan's Fresh Peach Pie

3 large peaches, peeled, pitted and chopped

1/2 cup water

1/2-3/4 cup sugar, depending on sweetness of peaches

3 T cornstarch

Combine all ingredients in a heavy bottomed saucepan. Mash and combine all ingredients. Place over medium high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. This should take about 5 minutes. When thickening remove from heat.

Fresh Raspberry Layer by Mary Ann

2- 6 oz containers fresh raspberries

2T -4 T sugar, to taste

Place raspberries and sugar in a bowl. Mash well, but leave larger pieces of berry.

White Chocolate Mousse adapted from Daring Bakers Opera Cake Challenge (May 2008)

7 oz white baking chocolate

1 cup + 3 Tbls heavy whipping cream

Place white chocolate and 3 Tbls cream in a small heavy bottomed saucepan. Melt together over low heat. When chocolate is completely melted, remove from heat and let cool completely.

Whip remaining 1 cup heavy cream to soft peaks and gently fold into the white chocolate mixture. Refrigerature until slightly thickened, about 2 hours.

Raspberry Coulis by Dorie Greenspan

6 oz frozen raspberries, slightly thawed

3 Tbls water

2-3 Tbls sugar

Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Strain mixture through sieve to remove all seeds. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Fresh Peach Sorbet Adapted from Anne Strawberry who Adapted from The Perfect Scoop by David Lebovitz

6-8 Fresh, Ripe Peaches (about 2 pounds)

1/3 Cup Sugar

2/3 Cup Water

4 Teaspoons Fresh Lemon Juice

Pinch of Salt

4 Tbls peach nectar

Slice, peel, and pit the peaches. Combine all ingredients in a blender and pulse until smooth. Taste, then add more lemon juice or sugar if desired.

Pour mixture into a 9x13-inch metal pan and freeze until solid, at least 3 hours.

Break mixture into chunks and puree in two batches in the food processor, adding 2 Tbls peach nectar to each batch. Make sure to process until smooth and creamy. Pack into a airtight container and freeze for at least 4 hours.