Pumpkin Cheesecake

Jenni made her traditional pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving this year. It was Z's second experience of said dessert, and she had more that Friday evening after dinner. Then Saturday morning, while trying to wake a very reluctant baby, I whispered to her, on a whim, "I have a surprise for you," with no clear plan yet what that "surprise" would be when we ventured into the house - a toy, a penny for her piggy bank, whatever. Groggily, and without even opening her eyes, the still-slumbering toddler croaked, like Charles Foster Kane on his deathbed:

"Cheeeeeeeesecake..."

Sounds like a recommendation to me!

Z's Pumpkin Cheeeeeeeesecake

For the crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup granulated sugar

For the cheesecake:
24 oz. softened cream cheese (we use 1/2 neufchatel)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Two eggs
1 3/4 cups solid pack pumpkin
2/3 cup evaporated milk
2 T. cornstarch
1 1/4 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. ground nutmeg

For the topping:
2 cups sour cream (room temperature)
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 t. vanilla extract

Put the cream cheese in a bowl and place it on top of the stove to warm, and remove the sour cream from the refrigerator and set it on the counter. While you preheat the oven to 350 degrees, melt your butter in the microwave at a low setting.

Combine graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar in a medium bowl, then press them onto the bottom and 1" up side of 9" springform pan. Bake it for 6-8 minutes, not allowing the crust to brown, and cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Beat the room-temperature cream cheese and sugars in large mixer bowl until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, pumpkin and milk, then add cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg and beat well. Pour the mixture into the cooled crust. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until the edge is set but the center still moves slightly.

Combine the sour cream, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl, and spread the mixture over the surface of the warm cheesecake and return it to the oven for five minutes. Cool the cheesecake on a wire rack and then chill it for several hours or overnight.

Serve for breakfast.