Pumpkin Cheesecake
Method
You will need an 8" flan tin or 6 individual dessert rings
1. To make the pumpkin puree, peel the skin from a small pumpkin and
deseed. Set some of the flesh aside for the crisps. Cut the flesh into small squares (approximately 5mm in size) and boil in water until very tender. Strain the water from the pumpkin and blend the cooked pumpkin until smooth. 2. For the pumpkin crisps, peel strips of pumpkin flesh from the small pumpkin with a vegetable peeler. Deep fry the strips at 180°C. Remove from the oil and drain then toss in icing sugar.
3. To make the base, crush the biscuits into small crumbs in a bowl then
add the sugar and melted butter and mix well. Line the baking tin/s with parchment paper. Put biscuit base mix into the baking tin/s and press down evenly with the back of a spoon.
4. Now prepare the filling: Heat oven to 180°C. Combine all of the ingredients for the filling into a bowl. Pour the cheesecake filling onto the biscuit base then place the cheesecake into the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. When cooked, the cheesecake should have a slight wobble in the very centre. Remove from the oven and leave to cool at room temperature. 5. To make the praline, add the sugar and water to a pan. Heat gently to dissolve the sugar. Using a sugar thermometer, cook until the mixture reaches 160°C and becomes a light caramel. Remove from the heat, stir in the pumpkin seeds and spread evenly onto a sheet of parchment paper. Allow to cool then break into bite size pieces.
6. To serve, cut the cheesecake into portions and garnish with the pumpkin praline, pumpkin crisps and Cornish clotted cream
Ingredients
(For the biscuit base:)
250g Digestive Biscuits
75g Butter - melted
1 tablespoon caster sugar
(Cheesecake filling:)
150g cream cheese
2 eggs
1 ½ cups sugar
¾ cup pumpkin puree (you will need 1 small pumpkin)
¼ cup plain flour
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
(For the crisps:)
flesh from the pumpkin
cooking oil
(For the Pumpkin Praline:)
150g sugar
3 tablespoons water
50g pumpkin seeds, toasted
Clotted cream, to serve
