Pumpkin Cheesecake with Maple Glazed Walnuts
-courtesy Foodland Ontario; Ontario.ca/foodland
Take advantage of the abundance of Ontario pie pumpkins in your fall baking. This cheesecake has all the taste and creaminess of pumpkin pie without having to make pastry.
1-¼ cups (300 mL) graham wafer crumbs
3 tbsp (45 mL) granulated sugar
¼ cup (50 mL) melted butter
Filling:
1-¼ cups (300 mL) granulated sugar
4 tsp (20 mL) cornstarch
3 pkgs (250 g each) brick light cream cheese, softened
3 Ontario Eggs, at room temperature
¼ cup (50 mL) packed brown sugar
1-½ cups (375 mL) cooked Ontario Pie Pumpkin Purée, drained
1/3 cup (75 mL) 2% plain Greek yogurt or low-fat sour cream
1-½ tsp (7 mL) vanilla
2 tsp (10 mL) ground cinnamon
1 tsp (5 mL) ground ginger
½ tsp (2 mL) ground nutmeg
¼ tsp (1 mL) salt
1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground cloves
Maple Walnuts:
2 tsp (10 mL) butter
1 cup (250 mL) walnut halves
2 tbsp (25 mL) Ontario Maple Syrup
1 tbsp (15 mL) granulated sugar
¾ tsp (4 mL) ground cinnamon
Whipped Cream
In medium bowl, mix together crumbs and sugar. Stir in melted butter. Press firmly into 9-inch (23 cm) springform pan; wrap bottom of pan with foil, set aside.
Filling: In small bowl, mix together sugar and cornstarch. In large bowl, using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, granulated sugar and cornstarch together until very smooth.
In separate large bowl, whisk together eggs and brown sugar. Stir in pumpkin, yogurt, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and cloves. Fold in cream cheese mixture until well blended. Pour over prepared crust.
Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven until almost set in the centre, about 1 hour. Remove to wire rack. Immediately run knife around edge of pan.
Allow to cool completely. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or up to 24 hours.
Maple Walnuts: In large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in walnuts, maple syrup, sugar and cinnamon. Cook, stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes, until nuts are well coated. Spread on parchment paper-lined baking sheet, separating pieces. When cooled, coarsely chop.
Remove outer ring from springform pan and place on serving platter. Decorate with whipped cream and chopped walnuts.