Spiced Pumpkin and Hazelnut Swirl Cheesecake by Priscilla Martel

Pumpkin and hazelnuts' bold flavors stand up well in this tangy cheesecake. These are sophisticated flavors best reserved for the adults at the Thanksgiving table. Don't swirl the fillings together if you like a surprise layer of nuttiness on the bottom.

For the Crust:

For this recipe you will need:

• 4 oz. graham crackers about 9 cookies, crumbled
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling:

For this recipe you will need:

• 3 8-oz. packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 15-oz. can pumpkin puree, (not pie filling)
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 cup hazelnut praline paste*

For the Crust:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Combine the graham crackers and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until cookies are finely ground. Drizzle with the melted butter then blend until the crumbs are moistened and stick together. Press the crumbs into the bottom of a 10-inch spring form pan. Bake until the crust is lightly golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack while preparing the filling.

For the Filling:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F.
• Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of a mixer fitted with its paddle. Beat at medium speed until smooth, scraping often. Beat in the eggs one at a time until blended. Stir in the sour cream and vanilla.
• Transfer 1 cup of the filling into a separate bowl and beat the pumpkin puree and the spices into the remaining filling until smooth.
• Stir the hazelnut praline paste into the reserved cream cheese mixture using a rubber spatula.
• Scrape the hazelnut filling into the bottom of the prepared crust. Pour the pumpkin filling on top. Gently swirl a soup spoon through the fillings in a figure eight pattern without touching the crust.
• Bake the cheesecake until lightly puffed, about 12 minutes. Reduce heat to 225°F and bake until the cake is lightly browned and mostly firm in the center, about 1 hour more. (The center will jiggle slightly when the pan is gently shaken.)
• Cool the cheesecake it its pan on a wire rack until completely cool. Run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen the cake. Cover loosely with plastic and chill in the refrigerator overnight. Remove the sides from the pan and transfer to a serving plate. Cut into slivers using a knife that has been heated in hot water. Serving the cheesecake at room temperature will improve its flavor.

* Hazelnut praline paste is a mixture of roasted hazelnuts ground with sugar. It is widely used to make fillings for chocolate confections such as Italian gianduja as well as for buttercream icings. American Almond Products Company packages its praline paste in 1-pound cans which are sold at Sur la Table stores, through King Arthur Flour Baker's catalog and on its web site www.pastrycraft.com.

© 2004 Priscilla Martel, All About Food