from Cooking Light just will not do. (Save them for the next day.) Full fat, over the top, and lots of food, that’s what Thanksgiving dinner should be. For dessert, I favor pies, pumpkin and pecan for sure, and perhaps a lemon meringue for the lemon
lovers in the crowd, but occasionally I like to throw in a slightly non-traditional dessert, such as this Pecan Bourbon Cheesecake. It’s rich, yes, but you only need a sliver, and it will complement your pies very nicely. I use Demerara sugar for
the cake, a slightly crunchy light brown sugar that has a lovely flavor. If you have trouble finding it, feel free to use Turbinado (aka “Sugar in the Raw”) instead.
Makes one 9-inch cake, serving 12
Pecan
Graham Cracker Crust:
1 cup (100 g/3.5 oz) pecans
2 tablespoons (27 g/0.95 oz) Demerara
sugar
1 cup (123 g/4.3 oz) graham cracker
crumbs (about 8 whole crackers)
5 tablespoons (70 g/2.5 oz) unsalted
butter, melted
Cheesecake
Filling:
2 ½ cups (538 g/19 oz) cream cheese, at
room temperature
1 cup (200 g/7 oz) Demerara sugar
5 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons (8 g/0.28 oz) vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon (1.6 g/0.06 oz) salt
2 cups (454 g/1 lb) sour cream, at room
temperature
Pecan
Topping:
2 large eggs
1/3 cup (71 g/2.5 oz) Demerara sugar
2 tablespoons (40 g/1.4 oz) light corn
syrup
1 tablespoon bourbon
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups (150 g/5.3 oz) pecans
Make
the crust:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Wrap a
large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil around the outside of a 9-inch springform
pan (this will prevent water from leaking in during baking and making the crust
soggy). Coat the bottom of the pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Place the pecans and sugar in the bowl
of a food processor and process until the pecans are finely ground. Transfer
the mixture to a medium bowl and stir in the graham cracker crumbs until
blended. Stir in the melted butter until well blended. Press the mixture evenly
over the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the
crust is just lightly browned and fragrant. Transfer to a wire rack and cool.
Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.
Make
the filling:
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer
fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese on medium-high speed
until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the sugar and beat until
well combined, about 2 minutes longer. Reduce the speed to medium-low and add
the eggs, beating well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the
bowl with a rubber spatula once or twice. Add the vanilla and salt and mix
until blended. Add the sour cream and mix just until blended. Remove the bowl
from the mixer stand and stir with a rubber spatula to make sure the batter
doesn’t have any lumps and is well blended. Scrape the batter over the prepared
crust.
Make
the topping:
4. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with
the sugar until well blended. Whisk in the corn syrup, bourbon, vanilla and
salt. Stir in the pecans, tossing them with the mixture until they are evenly
coated.
Bake
the cake:
5. Place the pan into a roasting pan and
gently spoon the Pecan Topping evenly over the cheesecake batter, covering it
completely. Pour enough hot water into the roasting pan so that it comes about
1 inch up the sides of the foil-wrapped pan and bake until the filling is set
and only slightly wobbly, 70 to 80 minutes. Turn the oven off and let the cake
cool in the turned-off oven for 1 hour. Remove the pan from the waterbath and
cool the cake completely on a wire rack.
4. Refrigerate the cake for at least 4
hours or overnight before topping and serving.
