There are comments out there that say the bird is being moved by his human, but I still think it’s all so cute.

There are also comments out there about this Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake. Lots and lots and lots of comments…and they are all very favorable.

All of those gushing reviews are for a good reason, because this cheesecake is amazing. The bourbon laced pumpkin filling has the ideal blend of spices and bakes up to creamy perfection. The sour cream topping and nutty graham crust provide fabulous contrast from above and below.

Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients for crust:

3/4 cup graham cracker (from five 4 3/4- by 2 1/4-inch crackers)
1/2 cup (50 grams) pecans, finely chopped
1/4 cup (45 grams) packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
4 tablespoons (55 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

Ingredients for filling:

1 (15-ounce) can solid-pack pumpkin (about 1 1/2 cups)
3 large eggs
1/2 cup (95 grams) packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons (30 ml) heavy cream
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla
1 tablespoon (15 ml) bourbon
1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

Ingredients for topping:

2 cups sour cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon
Garnish: pecan halves

Directions to make crust:

1. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.

2. Stir together graham cracker crumbs, pecans, sugars, and butter in a bowl until well combined.

3. Press crumb mixture evenly onto bottom and 1/2 inch up side of prepared pan. Chill crust at least 20 minutes. (Gourmet recommends 1 hour).

Directions to make filling:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Whisk together pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, cream, vanilla, and bourbon in a bowl until combined.

3. Stir together granulated sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in large bowl.

4. Beat cream cheese with an electric mixer at high speed until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium, then stir in cornstarch mixture and beat until smooth. Add pumpkin mixture and beat until smooth.

5. Pour filling into crust. Put springform pan on a shallow baking sheet (to catch any spills in case the pan leaks) and place in the oven.

6. Bake until center is just set, about 60 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool 5 minutes. (Leave oven on.)

Directions to make topping:

1. Whisk together sour cream, sugar, and bourbon in a bowl. Spread on top of cheesecake and bake 5 more minutes.

2. Cool cheesecake completely in pan on rack, about 3 hours. Chill, covered, at least 4 hours but preferably overnight.

3. Remove side of pan and garnish with the pecans. Bring cheesecake to room temperature before serving.

Make ahead: Baked cheesecake can be chilled, covered, up to 1 week.

Serves 12 to 14

Recipe from Gourmet Magazine

An ISITK fave, Steve Mahoney & The Milkshakes have a new album, ‘The Second Wave’, released September 25th. It’s packed with pop treasures as well as infusing some topical 2020 commentary into the music.

It was hard to choose one song to share as so many spoke to my soul. I have already shared a single from the album in this post out ahead of the record’s release. (Have a listen…it’s a slower tempo burn and so good). But today’s choice of ‘Danger Zone 2’ was decided by the combination of Steve’s catchy vocals over that irresistible throw back instrumentation.

“All around us we are losing the fight”

Check out Steve Mahoney & The Milkshakes on Facebook. You can buy their music on Bandcamp.

Cheers!