at last...dessert. {pumpkin cheesecake & pumpkin pie}

so here we are.
where is that you asked? we are at the best part of the meal. at the part, where even if your pants are feeling a little tight, you are still looking forward to that sweet treat. that hit of pumpkin and cinnamon that is synonymous with thanksgiving. the dessert that screams fall. the thing that caps off the night so well that you welcome those heavy eyelids and fall to sleep with a smile.

for us, that dessert is usually pumpkin cheesecake OR pumpkin pie. {sometimes there is both...you just never know what people are in the mood for!}. i have made many a pie & cake over the years and have come to settle on a few recipes that i think...take the cake? {too much??}

12 years ago i had my own little apartment in downtown vancouver - well kitsilano to be exact - a hop skip and jump from the beach. finally i had felt like a grown up. no more commuting from the north shore. no more feeling like i had someone to answer too {although i really didn't}. i was independent.
it was because of this that i decided to hold a proper grown up dinner party.
to host my own thanksgiving.

{i was so excited.}

i invited 10 people from different parts of my life - some knew each other, some became fast new friends.
the obstacle - my apartment was small. and it was lots of rooms - how i like it. not very conducive to hosting a dinner party but it did have a great feature - the walls between the bedroom and living room opened. so here is where i decided to rent a table and chairs + dinnerware & stemware - i wasn't messing around - i pushed my bed up against the back wall, set up the table and chairs in my bedroom and opened the wall up between my bedroom and living room and really you had no idea you were dining in my room! i brought in pumpkins and corn stalks, waxed leaves for decor, lots of candles and set the mood.
i felt like bridget jones fixing her own birthday dinner for all her friends. the catch: mine actually turned out! i roasted a salmon, made chevre mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, stuffing {of course} and brussel sprouts. but the two things i was most excited about were my desserts. i should have known then where my life path was to take me, i was just too stubborn.
it was at this meal that i was introduced to my ability to make desserts.
i made 2 pumpkin pies and a pumpkin cheesecake.

i never knew that desserts could taste like this. okay check that...i never knew that dessert I MADE could taste like that. they were wonderful and thus commencing my role as pumpkin dessert maker from that day on. and i was proud of it.

pumpkin cheesecake
crust:
2/3 cup of butter
3 tablesspoons of sugar
a pinch of kosher salt
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

filling:
3 8oz packages of cream cheese, softened
1 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of flour
4 large eggs
2 cups pumpkin puree {homemade or canned}
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
3/4 tsp of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon of all-spice
1 1/2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract

preheat oven to 325F.
crust: combined all the ingredients together. press into the bottom {and up sides - optional} of a 9 inch springform pan. bake the crust, on a rimmed sheet, for about 10 minutes. remove from oven and set aside. leave oven on.

filling:
in a large mixing bowl, beat creamcheese and sugar together until light and fluffy. beat in flour and add eggs one at a time while neating. stir in pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice and vanilla. pour over crust.

bake for about 1 hour and 20 minutes, until the center is raised and set. turn off oven, open the door slightly and let cool in oven for about 2 hours. this prevents cracking on top. if you can't do this step ie: there are kids running around - remove from oven, put on a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate {still in the pan! do not remove the side portion of your pan!} for at least 6 hours or overnight. if you do end up getting a crack down the middle put a big dollop of the vanilla whip cream you are whipping up to serve with it anyways!

pumpkin pie
for the crust i use my sweet classic pie dough.

one batch of pie dough.
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of ginger
1 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree {homemade or canned}
3 large eggs {lightly beaten}
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk

1 tbsp heavy cream
one extra egg

turn on your oven to 425F.
roll out your pie dough, place it in your pie plate & decoratively pinch edges. freeze crust for 30 minutes.

meanwhile mix together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, pumpkin, eggs and milk.

in a small bowl beat together the egg and heavy cream. when 30 minutes is up get your pie shell and glaze your edges with your egg mix. add pumpkin mix.

bake for 10 minutes then reduce he heat to 350 an bake for 60 minutes more {check it at the 50 minute mark - if the center is still wobbly leave it in for 5 minute increments. turn off oven and open door and allow to cool in the oven to prevent cracking. if you can't do this step ie: there are kids running around - remove from oven, put on a wire rack and let cool to room temperature. if you do end up getting a crack down the middle put a big dollop of the vanilla whip cream you are whipping up to serve with it anyways!