Recipe from Executive Chef John Brand, Las Canarias, San Antonio.
Crust
3/4 cup gingersnap cookies, ground fine in a food processor
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 stick butter, melted and cooled
Filling
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups pumpkin, roasted and puréed
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon bourbon
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eight-ounce packages cream cheese
Sour Cream Topping
2 cups sour cream
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon
Mix crust ingredients together. Butter inverted spring form pan or small cheesecake molds and spread crust in bottom. Chill one hour.
Whisk egg, pumpkin, brown sugar, cream, vanilla, and bourbon in medium bowl. Add sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt to pumpkin mixture. In Kitchen Aid mixing bowl, beat cream cheese on high 3 minutes until smooth. Add pumpkin mixture and mix with cream cheese until smooth. Pour onto crust and put on cookie sheet. Bake 50 to 60 minutes until just set.
Mix sour cream, sugar, and bourbon and spread on cake and bake 5 minutes. Cool 3 hours on rack. Chill covered at least 4 hours and keep in pan until ready to serve. Serves 12.
Editor’s Note: Chef Brand is a featured chef at the 10th Anniversary New World Wine & Food Festival in San Antonio November 10 through 15, 2009. Go to nwwff.org for more information.
