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Robert St. John

Restaurateur, author, enthusiastic traveler, & world-class eater.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Our first restaurant, The Purple Parrot, served many memorable dishes. This Pumpkin Cheesecake is one of those. When we do our Monthly Pop-ups, this is always a popular request.

Ingredients

1½ pounds cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
Pinch salt
5 eggs
4 egg yolks
2 tsp vanilla extract
1½ cups pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
⅛ tsp allspice

Crust
2 ¼  cups graham cracker crumbs
1 tsp cinnamon
¾ cup melted butter
½ cup sugar

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.

Place softened cream cheese in large mixing bowl and beat using paddle attachment on medium speed until VERY smooth. Scrape sides and beat again to ensure there are no lumps.

Add sugar and mix well. Add in eggs and yolks a few at a time, allowing them to incorporate well before adding more.

Place the mixer on slow speed and add vanilla, pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. Blend well for another 2-3 minutes.

Crust

Combine crumbs, cinnamon and sugar and mix by hand Add butter in stages, mixing well before each addition.

Evenly distribute the crust in a ten-inch spring form pan, pressing it firmly on the bottom of the pan, and building crust up two inches on the sides of the pan.

Pour in the cheesecake batter and bake for 1-1 1 /2 hours. The cheesecakes should jiggle slightly when tapped.

Remove and cool refrigerate overnight before serving.

To cut, run a thin knife under hot water before cutting each slice.

Yield: 10-14 servings

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