- Yield: 1 half-hotel pan
Brûléed Pumpkin Cheesecake
Recipe courtesy of Vanessa Tristan, CEPC, Executive Pastry Chef, The Club at Carlton Woods (The Woodlands, Texas)
Ingredients
- Ingredients for the Pumpkin Purée:
- raw diced pumpkin - 850 gms., peeled and deseeded
- water - 125 gms.
- granulated sugar - 65 gms.
- dark brown sugar - 65 gms.
- whole cinnamon - 1 ea.
- whole star anise - 1/2 ea.
- whole allspice berry - 1 ea.
- whole clove - 1 ea.
- ground nutmeg - 1/4 tsp.
- vanilla extract - 14 gms.
- kosher salt - 2 gms.
- Ingredients for the Biscoff Crust:
- Biscoff cookies - 400 gms., ground
- unsalted butter - 120 gms., melted
- Ingredients for the Pumpkin Cheesecake Custard:
- cream cheese - 1020 gms.
- sour cream - 425 gms.
- homemade pumpkin purée - 600 gms.
- granulated sugar - 340 gms.
- eggs - 360 gms.
- heavy cream - 190 gms.
- vanilla extract - 20 gms.
- salt - 1 gm.
- pumpkin spice - 3 gms.
Instructions
Procedure for the Pumpkin Purée:
- Combine all the ingredients in a large pot, and let simmer until the water has evaporated and the pumpkin is softened and fully cooked, stir often.
- Once the pumpkin has broken down and the water has reduced, remove from heat. Let Cool. Remove the whole spices, and blend.
- Pass the puree through a tammy or sieve to ensure there are no chunks or whole spices still remaining in the purée.
- Store and set aside for later use. Only 600 grams of the pureee will be needed for the cheesecake base; the rest can be used to garnish the cheesecake, or frozen for later use.
Procedure for the Biscoff Crust:
- Combine the cookies and melted butter. Line the half hotel pan with parchment paper and spray the bottom with non-stick spray.
- Evenly spread the cookie crust on the pan, and firmly pack down to create base layer.
- Bake at 325°F for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool at room temperature.
Procedure for the Pumpkin Cheesecake Custard:
- Set the oven at 300°F prior to starting the custard. Combine all the ingredients in medium container, and blend using a hand blender until the custard is smooth. Optionally, you can add some orange food coloring if a brighter color is desired.
- Slowly pour the custard over the baked crust. Quickly run a torch over the custard to get rid of any air bubbles.
- Bake the cheesecake at 300°F in a Bain Marie covered for about 1 hour, or until the cheesecake is set. Let the cheesecake set overnight in the refrigerator.
- Remove cheesecake from the pan by lightly heating with torch along the bottom of pan. Portion to desired size.
- Once portioned, plate and evenly add some sugar to the top of the cheesecake. Brulee the top using a torch.
- Garnish with left over pumpkin puree, Chantilly cream, and toasted pumpkin seeds.
