Pumpkin Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce
(from Bay Wolf Restaurant Cookbook)
Crust:
3 cups ground gingersnap cookie crumbs
1/2 cup sweet, unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
8 oz. cream cheese (at room temp)
4 oz. mascarpone cheese
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. ground mace
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup fresh or canned pumpkin puree
Caramel Sauce:
1/4 cup water
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups heavy whipping cream
Crust:
Mix together gingersnap crumbs and butter. Press into bottom of 10-inch springform pan and set aside.
Filling:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat cream cheese, add mascarpone and mix well. Add sugar and egg and mix well. Add spices, lemon juice and vanilla. Scrape bottom of mixing bowl.
Beat in pumpkin and pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes, or until knife is clean when removed from middle of cake.
Let cool in pan, then refrigerate for 1-2 hours until firm.
Sauce:
Combine water and sugar in heavy bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat and continue cooking for 15-20 minutes, or until sugar darkens to the color of dark tea. (caramelization of sugar occurs at temperatures from 310 degrees F to 350 degrees F, and is evidenced by a change in color and aroma. As the temp. increases, white sugar transforms to various shades of gold to brown, and the aroma from buttery to nutty.) Source: ChezPanisse Cooking
Remove from heat and mix in the cream, a little at a time. Set aside. Slice cheesecake and top with caramel sauce. Serves 8-10.
*( I had a difficult time making this sauce, as the water absorbed into the sugar before the sugar caramelized. I repeated the whole process again a second time with no better results...so I opted to use Smuckers Caramel ice cream topping)
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