Pumpkin Cheesecake has always been a family favorite for us, but this year we thought we’d add a little Papa Ben’s twist – and had a lot of fun doing it. This Papa Ben’s original recipe takes our Spicy Chipotle with Ginger and Dark Chocolate Mandelbroyt and transforms it into a smooth buttery pie crust bursting with flavor. Make the filling with fresh roasted pumpkin which you can probably still find at your local supermarket, or use canned pumpkin. This cake combines the best of three treats, cheesecake, pumpkin pie, and Papa Ben’s Mandelbroyt for the ultimate party dessert. Not only do we have step-by-step instructions for you listed below but we also have a live video of Gail Gerber and our very talented good friend Randy Furhman of Randy Furhman Events (the mastermind behind this decadent desert) walking you through the process.
Papa Ben’s Spicy Pumpkin Cheesecake
CREATED BY CHEF RANDY FUHRMAN
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.
Ingredients
For the mandelbroyt crust:
- About 10 to 12 chipotle mandelbroyt slices (to yield 2 ½ cups cookie crumbs)
- ¼ cup packed dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup chopped candied ginger (optional)
- 3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
For the filling:
- 11/2 lb. (3- 8-oz. packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. ground chipotle chilies
- ¼ tsp. ground allspice
- ¼ tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- ¼ tsp. table salt
- 4 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- 1 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
- 2 Tbs Southern Comfort
- 2 cups. can pure solid-packed pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
For Garnish:
- Coarsely Crushed 4 Mandelbroyt cookies
- ½ cup melted semi sweet chocolate
METHOD
Make the crust:
1.Pulse the cookies and brown sugar in a food processor until well combined and the crumbs are uniform.
2. Transfer to a medium bowl; add the melted butter. Combine thoroughly
3. First, mix with a spoon and then with your fingers until the mixture is evenly moist, crumbly, and holds together when you squeeze a handful. Press the mixture evenly over the bottom and partway up the sides of a 9-inch springform pan.
4. Chill for 5 minutes and then bake for 10 minutes in a 350 oven . Let cool.
Make the filling
1.Heat a kettle of water
2.With an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese until smooth.
3.In a separate bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, chipotle powder and salt.
4. Add this mixture to the cream cheese. Beat until well blended, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
5. Add the eggs and yolks one at a time, making sure each is thoroughly incorporated before adding the next, and scraping down the bowl after each.
5. Blend in the vanilla , southern comfort and pumpkin until well blended.
6. Scrape the batter into the cooled crust. The batter will come up past the crust and will fill the pan to the rim. Tap the pan gently once or twice on the counter to release any air bubbles.
7. Set the pan in a larger baking dish (a roasting pan is good), and add enough hot water from the kettle to come about halfway up the sides of the springform pan.
8 Bake until the top of the cake looks deep golden and burnished and the center is set (the cake may just barely begin to crack), 1 hour 35 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes. The cake will jiggle a little bit when tapped. The top may rise a bit but will settle as it cools.
9. Remove the cheesecake from the oven and run a thin-bladed knife between the crust and the pan sides (this will prevent the cake from breaking as it cools).
10. Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature in the pan on a wire rack. Cover and chill overnight.
Making the Garnish
1. Place cookies around edge of cheesecake
2. Take melted chocolate and drizzle over the crushed Mandelbroyt
3. Refrigerate for 20 minuets
4. Bring out 1 hour before serving and enjoy!
gets old and watching the crowd each time is an experience all on its own. It was quite amazing, as it always is. After his speaking engagement we surprised Ben and his wife Jean with there very own hotel suite at Lake Las Vegas, a beautiful lake resort just 15 miles from the Las Vegas Strip. With family members hiding in the room, Papa Ben was beyond thrilled when his grandchildren and even great grandson started popping out of corners of the room. It was special. The weekend was one that none of us will ever forget. With nocell phones, TVs or computers our family had absolutely no interruptions. We were all present. We were all there with one purpose, to celebrate Papa Ben.
