Hi everyone! Are you looking for a fantastic last minute dessert for X-mas (or Chanukah) that will please both vegans and non-vegans alike? Well, my sister Katy who has recently become vegan with her husband Dave told me about this incredible recipe from the NY Times. It is SICK!!!
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/11/can-you-bake-a-vegan-pie/
Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie
We prefer the consistency and flavor of canned pumpkin for this insanely popular fall dessert.
Crust:
1 recipe Graham Cracker Crust (see Old-Fashioned Chocolate Pudding pie recipe, below), or use a store-bought 9-inch vegan graham cracker crust.
(I ground up 28 ginger Snaps and mixed with 1/2 cup Coconut oil butter spread
Filling:
1/2 cup whole unroasted cashews, soaked in water for 2 to 8 hours, or until very soft
1/4 cup mashed banana (about 1 medium banana)
1 (12- to 14-ounce) package silken tofu, drained
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons coconut oil, room temperature
6 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon orange extract or 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin purée
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Topping:
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon nonhydrogenated margarine (I used the coconut oil butter here as well)
Pinch of salt
1 cup pecan pieces, roughly chopped
1. Make the topping first. In a mixing bowl, use a fork to mash together brown sugar, margarine and salt until crumbly, then fold in the chopped nuts and stir to coat with the mixture. Set aside until ready to use.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly spray the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan with nonstick cooking spray. Prepare the crust and press it very firmly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes, and move the pan to a cooling rack, leaving the oven on for further baking in a bit.
3. Meanwhile, prepare the filling: Drain the cashews and blend with the banana, tofu, sugar, brown sugar, coconut oil, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla and orange extracts, and sea salt. Blend until the mixture is completely smooth and no bits of cashew remain.
4. Set aside 1/3 cup of batter. To the remaining batter, add the pumpkin purée, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and blend until smooth, then pour it onto the crust. Randomly spoon dollops of the reserved batter onto the cheesecake. Poke the end of a chopstick into a batter blob and gently swirl to create a marble pattern; repeat with the remaining plain dollops.
5. Bake the cheesecake for 45 to 50 minutes, removing the cheesecake halfway through the baking period to sprinkle on the topping. Return to oven to continue baking. Cheesecake will be done when the top is lightly puffed and the edges of the cake are golden. Remove it from the oven and let cool on a rack for 20 minutes, then transfer to the fridge to complete cooling, at least 3 hours or, even better, overnight. To serve, slice the cake using a thin, sharp knife dipped in cold water.
Yield: One 9 1/2-inch cheesecake.