Pumpkin Cheese Tarts With Gingersnap Crust Recipes

PUMPKIN TART WITH GINGERSNAP CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• To make the crust, combine the gingersnap crumbs with the melted butter and toss together until the mixture holds together when pressed.
• Add an additional tablespoon of melted butter if necessary.
• Pat evenly over the bottom and halfway up the sides of 8 (4 1/2-inch) tartlet pans.
• Bake about 7 minutes, or until set.
• Remove from oven.
• To make the filling: Press the grated ginger against the mesh of a fine sieve into a small bowl, pressing hard to extract all the juice.
• Set the ginger juice aside and discard the pulp.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cream cheese, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ground cloves, and salt.
• Beat until creamy and well combined, then add the ginger juice and the pumpkin puree and beat again.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after you add the first one, but do not overbeat the mixture.
• Pour the filling into the tart pans and return them to the oven.
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the center is just firm to the touch.
• Cool to room temperature, then chill for up to 2 hours or overnight before serving.

PUMPKIN CHEESE TART

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 10-inch tart pan with removable bottom with cooking spray. In small bowl, mix crust ingredients. Press in bottom and up side of pan. Bake 6 to 8 minutes or until set; set aside.
• In large bowl, beat cream cheese filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Reserve 2/3 cup cream cheese filling; set aside.
• In small bowl, mix pumpkin filling ingredients. Add to remaining cream cheese filling; mix well. Spoon into crust. Spoon dollops of reserved cream cheese filling randomly over pumpkin filling. Swirl with knife to marble mixtures. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until set. Cool 10 minutes. Remove side of pan. Serve warm, or cool 1 hour and refrigerate until serving time.
• Just before serving, in 1-quart saucepan, heat caramel sauce ingredients to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat. Serve warm over tart. Cover and refrigerate any remaining tart.

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE TARTS WITH GINGERSNAP CRUST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. To make the crust, combine the gingersnap crumbs with the melted butter and toss together until the mixture holds together when pressed. Add an additional tablespoon of melted butter if necessary. Pat evenly over the bottom and halfway up the sides of 8 ( 4 1/2-inch) tartlet pans. Bake about 7 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven.
• Meanwhile, make the filling. Put the grated ginger in a fine sieve set over a small bowl and press against it to extract the juice. Set aside the ginger juice and discard the pulp. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the cream cheese, brown sugar, spices and salt. Beat until creamy and well-combined. Beat in the ginger juice and the pumpkin puree. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each until blended but being careful not to over beat. Pour the filling into the tartlet pans and bake 25 to 35 minutes, or until the center is just firm to the touch. Cool to room temperature then chill at least 2 hours or overnight before serving.

PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with rack in center. Assemble a 9-inch nonstick springform pan, with the raised side of the bottom part facing up.
• Make the crust: In a medium bowl, mix cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter until moistened; press firmly into bottom of pan. Bake until golden around edges, 10 to 12 minutes.
• Make the filling: With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese and sugar on low speed until smooth; mix in flour (do not overmix). Add pumpkin puree, pie spice, vanilla, and salt; mix just until smooth. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until each is incorporated before adding the next.
• Place springform pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour filling into springform, and gently smooth top. Transfer to oven; reduce oven heat to 300 degrees. Bake 45 minutes without opening the oven. Turn off oven; to prevent the top from cracking, let cheesecake stay in oven 2 hours more (without opening).
• Remove from oven; cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, at least 4 hours. Unmold before serving.

PUMPKIN-CHEESECAKE PIE WITH GINGERSNAP CRUST

Steps:

• Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pulse gingersnaps and sugar in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Add butter and pulse to combine. Press mixture evenly into bottom and up sides of a 9-inch pie dish. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.
• Bake crust until golden in spots, about 15 minutes. With the bottom of a measuring cup, gently flatten bottom and sides of crust. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
• Filling: Pulse cream cheese in food processor until smooth. Add sugar and pumpkin and process until smooth, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Add egg and yolk, flour, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; process until incorporated.
• Pour filling into cooled shell and bake until custard is just set, about 33 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack, then refrigerate until cold and firm, at least 4 hours and up to overnight.
• Meringue: Combine sugar and egg whites in a heatproof mixing bowl. Set bowl over (not in) a pan of simmering water, whisking until sugar dissolves and whites are warm. Remove from heat. Beat on high speed until thick, glossy stiff peaks form, about 6 minutes.
• Transfer meringue to a pastry bag fitted with a large leaf tip (such as Ateco #115). Pipe leaves around border of chilled pie, releasing pressure to create tips. Holding a small kitchen torch at a 90-degree angle, 3 inches from surface of meringue, move flame back and forth over meringue until it starts to brown. (Or broil 6 to 8 inches from heat source, about 1 minute.) Serve immediately.