1 Prepare a Graham cracker pecan crust: Combine nuts, flour, brown sugar and graham cracker crumbs in a food processor. Add the butter and the egg yolk. Mix until the mixture is smooth.
Press into the bottom of a removable 9-inch pan and bake for 10 minutes at 375 ° F. Remove from oven and let cool.
2 Press the pumpkin puree. Take the pumpkin puree and place it on several layers of paper towels. Cover with several layers of paper towels and use your hands to gently squeeze the liquid out of the mash.
Keep in mind that you will probably be using a lot of paper towels (you can also use kitchen towels).
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3 Measure the pumpkin puree: Two 15-ounce cans of pumpkin puree should make just over 2 cups of the puree without the excess moisture. Measure 2 cups of mash; you want exactly 2 cups.
4 Prepare the pumpkin base:
Whisk together flour, cinnamon, ground ginger, grated nutmeg and allspice in a medium bowl. Using a wooden spoon (you don’t need a blender for this step), combine the salt, 2 cups of pressed pumpkin puree, vanilla, and bourbon. Beat the eggs, incorporating them one at a time.
5 Prepare the cheesecake filling: In a large bowl (it helps to use a mixer for this step), beat the cream cheese and the brown sugar until completely creamy and smooth (no lumps). Gradually add the pumpkin mixture until it is completely incorporated.
Boil a kettle of water.
6 Line the pan with 3 layers of heavy aluminum foil: Place the removable pan with the crust in the middle of three layers of large sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil (to prevent moisture from the bain-marie from seeping into the pan). Fold the foil over the sides of the pan and cut. (You can also use a turkey roasting bag instead of foil to keep water out.)
6 Pour the filling into the saucepan: Place the foil-wrapped pan on a large baking sheet (large enough that there is room on all sides). Pour pumpkin cream cheese mixture into removable pan.
7 Add water to the drip pan: Place the baking sheet containing the removable plate in a 325 ° F oven on the middle rack. Pour boiling water into the pot so that it reaches the middle of the side of the removable pot.
8 Cook and cool: Bake the cheesecake for 1 1/2 hours at 325 ° F. Turn off the oven heat and keep the oven door open. Let the cheesecake rest in the oven, cool for another hour.
Then take it out of the oven and let it reach room temperature. Once cooled, let it cool for several hours in the refrigerator, preferably overnight.
9 When ready to serve, carefully remove the cake from the removable mold:
To make sure the cake doesn’t stick to the side of the pan when unlocking, first run a dull knife around the cake, then heat the sides of the pan with a hair dryer. Then carefully unlock the spring form and lift the sides.
Serve the cheesecake with a caramel sauce, candied nuts and whipped cream.