Smoked Pumpkin Cheesecake, Apple Cider Honey, Apples and Nutmeg Crema
"Every summer at the restaurant (Chandler's in Petoskey), we bring on a lot of new cooks. One year a cook named Mike, from Colorado, showed up looking for a job, and we hired him. After working with us for a few months, he asked if I had ever had smoked pumpkin cheesecake, and our favorite fall dessert was born. As a chef, it’s important to never stop learning—my cooks teach me as much as I teach them. At the restaurant, we make a smoker with a deep pan and a perforated pan over the top, and then use another pan for a lid. I suggest doing the same at home. You can re-up the chips (I prefer apple wood) in a separate pan and just transfer to the smoker setup. Very little smoke is needed, so just a smoldering is good." —Chef Tommy Kaszubowski
Get more gourmet pumpkin recipes by Tommy.
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1⁄4 cup butter, melted
- 4 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened, divided
- 1 cup roasted pumpkin puree (see main text) or canned pumpkin
- 11⁄2 cups sugar, divided
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 4 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 11⁄2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
- 1 apple, julienned
- Freshly grated nutmeg for serving
- 1 quart apple cider
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1⁄4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg