cooking with cadee

White Chocolate & Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Base
¼ cup fine, dry, chocolate cookie crumbs

White Chocolate Cheesecake
two 8-ounce packages best-quality cream cheese
6 tablespoons sugar
2 large eggs
6 ounces white chocolate, chopped or disks

Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake
two 8-ounce packages best-quality cream cheese
6 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup canned pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs

Topping
2 cups sour cream
½ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Garnish
2 ounce premium white chocolate in a thick bar

Directions:

To make the Base, sprinkle the cookie crumbs on the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan or removable-bottom cake pan.

To make the White Chocolate Cheesecake, utilizing a double boiler set over hot, not simmering, water, or in a microwave, carefully melt the white chocolate, stirring periodically with a clean, dry utensil to evenly distribute the heat. Reserve momentarily. (Note: White chocolate cannot tolerate the same degree of heat that dark chocolate can. If it is overheated, it will turn granular.

Don’t forget to taste it…. making sure it is just right

Using a processor fitted with the steel knife,or mixer, process the cream cheese with the sugar until completely smooth.

Add the eggs and melted white chocolate. Incorporate thoroughly. Reserve.

To make the Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake, using a processor fitted with the steel knife, process the cream cheese and brown sugar until totally smooth. (If in doubt, keep processing.)

Add the pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and eggs. Incorporate thoroughly.

Pour the Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake batter into the cheesecake pan.

Pour the White Chocolate Cheesecake batter over the top and swirl the two together with a flexible spatula. Alternately, spoon large dollops of each batter, side by side, into the pan and then swirl.

Bake in the upper third of a preheated 350° oven for about 35 minutes.

Go ahead and do a little dance while you wait for the timer to go off

The cheesecake will not appear set at this point. There should be no cracking or rising of the outer edges. Remove from the oven, let sit for 5 minutes.

While the cheesecake is baking, whisk the sour cream with the sugar and vanilla and let set until the sugar is completely dissolved. Reserve.

After the baked cheesecake has set up for at least 5 minutes, slowly pour the sour cream mixture over the top of the cheesecake.

Return cheesecake to the oven for 10 minutes, remove, and let cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Do not overbake or the cheesecake will be grainy. When totally cool, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or preferably overnight.

Just before serving, grate the remaining white chocolate and sprinkle evenly over the top. (An easy way to obtain large chocolate curls is to warm the top of the chocolate bar slightly with just the heat of your hand and then draw a cheese knife across the top. Repeat the warming for each pass with the cheese knife.)

Cut into slim wedges with a long thin knife, wiping the blade clean on a paper towel between slices.