My Ingredients.
Some of you may be wondering where Friday’s and Monday’s posts went. Friday morning I received a message from the local cable company saying that my internet had been terminated because of an abuse of service. Turns out I was unknowingly spamming the world with “Viagra like” e-mails; 2,000,000 of them in fact. A worm had infiltrated my meager defenses and was wrecking havoc on the entirety of the internet. Four days and a clean Windows install later, I’m back up and running.
Over this past weekend we hosted Friendsgiving, and for the occasion I made Pumpkin Cheesecake. I took photos during the cooking process and thought I would share them, and the recipe, with my audience. Maybe I’m just competing with my wife, the Messy Cook. Maybe, I just wanted to try my hand at food photography. Either way, it’s great way for us to link to each other’s blogs.
Some things I learned about food photography. First and foremost, the lighting in my kitchen is difficult to compensate for. I really need to setup a makeshift studio. Also, it’s challenging to take pictures of objects in round bowls and make all the images interesting. I would benefit from a macro lens. I didn’t mind the fact that the subject was mundane, but to be fair, it was my first go at it. Maybe I will do some more food blog style posts just to see if I can improve.
And now the recipe.
Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake
From Gormet Magazine
For crust
- 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (from five 4 3/4- by 2 1/4-inch crackers)
- 1/2 cup pecans (1 3/4 ounces), finely chopped
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
For filling
- 1 1/2 cups canned solid-pack pumpkin
- 3 large eggs
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 tablespoon bourbon liqueur or bourbon (optional)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
For topping
- 2 cups sour cream (20 ounces)
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon bourbon liqueur or bourbon (optional)
- Garnish: pecan halves
Graham Cracker Crumbs, Brown Sugar, Sugar, and Pecans; for the crust.
The Crust.
Here we add three eggs.
Addition by Subtraction.
Then after turning on the mixer.
This is what makes it Cheesecake.
Combine the Cream Cheese and Spices.
Cream Cheese + Pumpkin = Delicious.
Pour the mixture on top of the crust.
Bake, Add the Sour Cream Icing, Garnish, and Serve.