Autumn Whimsy Redux

Now that autumn is officially here, it's time to start thinking about apple cider, pumpkins, potted chrysanthemums, and raking leaves; with this in mind, here's a neat way to celebrate the beginning of autumn. It uses the same chocolate crust as the Triple Threat Cheesecake, but you'll note, I'm sure, that the filling is quite a different beast altogether. ;) Happy autumn!

Crust:
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, cream sugar and butter until fluffy. Whisk flour and cocoa powder in a separate bowl; add gradually to creamed sugar/butter mixture. This will resemble coarse crumbs or crumbly cookie dough. Turn mixture out into the bottom of a greased springform pan and press it into an even layer using the back of a spoon or the flat bottom of a drinking glass. Bake on the middle oven rack for about 15 minutes, then remove from oven.

Filling:
1.33 cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 15 oz can pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling! if you have homemade pumpkin puree, that works poifectly, too.)
1 1/2 pounds cream cheese, softened (about 3 packages)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 large eggs
1 cup heavy cream
2 oz bourbon or whiskey

Get as much water out of the pumpkin puree as you can, either by letting it sit in a strainer layered with paper towels for a few hours, or by putting it between layers of paper towels and patting some of the moisture out (this takes a couple of tries). Whisk sugar and spices in a separate bowl while the cream cheese is being beaten (assuming you have something like a KitchenAid mixer… BIG help with this recipe), and begin adding sugar mixture to the cream cheese. Add pumpkin, vanilla, eggs, and bourbon and beat at low/medium speed until smooth. Add heavy cream and continue beating until everything is incorporated. Pour the filling into the springform and gently knock it against a counter or table top to get all the bubbles out. Wrap some tinfoil around the pan to keep any leaks from spilling out, and bake on the middle rack at 350 for about an hour.