blue artichoke

I know you sweet readers are eager for the crowning of the Ultimate Pumpkin Cheesecake so you can try it out for your respective Thanksgiving day feasts. I vow to churn out recipes at a rapid pace. Five more to go. I can make it happen. In fact, I just sent cheesecake #3 (Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake) to GC's office, but not before slicing off a hunk to try myself. This cheesecake would have to be extraordinary to warrant the trouble of making it. The recipe is from Cook's Illustrated. I think they usually do a good job of creating good recipes in their test kitchens. This one, however, used so many bowls and dishes that I had to stop midway to wash and dry some before I could carry on. And I have a fairly well stocked kitchen. One particularly questionable step is drying the pumpkin. The recipe calls for a can of pumpkin, which you spread out over a three-thickness paper towel mound and top with another three layers of paper towels to draw out excess moisture. Is this really necessary? The recipe also directs you to cook the cheesecake in a hot water bath. This is to ensure a slow and even cooking, which helps keep the top from cracking and the bottom from burning. It also makes for a soggy crust, which is unfortunate, because the crust had potential. It was similar to the crust from the previous two cheesecakes, except it had spices in it.

So, was the cheesecake worth all the effort? Maybe. It had a nice, light and creamy texture. This one is definitely richer and smoother. GC said it is more like a cheesecake with pumpkin flavor than the current champ, which is more like a creamy pumpkin pie. The topping, though, is excellent. Brown sugar and bourbon cream. Yay for Wild Turkey.

Right now I'm leaning toward Spicy Pumpkin Cheesecake (#2) because it is just as tasty, perhaps a bit healthier (less cream cheese, whipping cream and sugar and fewer eggs) and easier to assemble. I'll probably keep the spiced cream topping for a nonalcoholic option, but will filch the brown sugar and bourbon cream topping from the Cook's Illustrated recipe. And, I might try adding some spices to the other crust. I think the Ultimate Snackdown Pumpkin Cheesecake winner will probably be a version cobbled together from all the competitors.

I am, however, awaiting official review from GC's colleagues before making any final decisions.

Update 7:30pm: The tasters have reviewed the cheesecake and given it two thumbs up, an A++++, a "wow!" and "Out of this world!" Guess they liked it. Unfortunately, they didn't get to try the Spicy Pumpkin Cheesecake, so have no basis for comparison. But with results like those, I think this cheesecake makes it to the next round.