Scavone Family Cookbook: Pumpkin Cheesecake

24 September 2009

Pumpkin Cheesecake

A delicious alternative - or addition - to pumpkin pie.

Crust: 2-1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
2/3 cup softened butter or margarine
1/3 cup brown sugar
Mix well and press on bottom and sides of 10" springform pan to within 1/4" of top. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350. In large bowl, with mixer at low speed, beat 5 - 8 oz packages of cream cheese just until smooth. add 1/2 cup brown sugar, 3 tbsp flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp vanilla, 3/4 tsp allspice, 3/4 tsp ginger.1/2 tsp cinnamon, 6 eggs, 16 ounces canned pumpkin, and 1/2 can evaporated milk. Beat until blended. Increase to medium speed and beat 5 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Pour into prepared pan. Bake one hour. Turn oven off without opening door; let cake stand in oven for 30 minutes. Cool on rack before removing sides of pan. Cover and refrigerate.

2 comments:

Sandi said...: Canned pumpkin? Hooray! I think I can handle this one. I'm gonna it and report back.; September 30, 2009 at 5:14 PM
Sandi said...: That is...I'm gonna TRY it.; September 30, 2009 at 5:15 PM

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THE WOMEN

The handing down of recipes through the generations is a means of preserving family as an identity. One doesn’t simply produce offspring, one leaves them with the knowledge of who they are, with parts of those who’ve gone before and what they knew of life. In teaching her to cook, a mother teaches her daughter to nurture, to grow her children to be strong and good, and to preserve the tradition of family for them to take as their own.

When a new daughter entered the family, she went to her new mother to learn her husband’s favorite dishes, for to do his job of supporting the household, a man needs nurturing, too. Stella learned from Fanny how to cook for John; Barbara learned from Stella how to cook for Manny. The new daughter combined these skills with her own; thus, the family table was further enriched, and traditions grew.

It is to our lasting good fortune that these women were much more than students. Each was a talented chef. They knew how to follow a recipe and when exact measurements were important. But so much of it was instinctive. Mom would put "this much" salt in the gravy, and pour an amount into her palm. Was it a teaspoon? A tablespoon? It was enough so that the gravy tasted right. They were inventive. What matter if there was little in the refrigerator when times were tough? They could take almost anything and make a meal that more than satisfied hunger and taste. Experiment with the recipes yourself, add your own touches. Mom, Nana and Grandma won’t mind, as long as you enjoy what comes out. In our family tradition, food represents the bounty of the Earth. It is a gift, and our duty not only to use it, but to use it well.

24 September 2009

Pumpkin Cheesecake

2 comments:

Benvenuto!

THE RECIPES

Printing Recipes

Manny and Barbara (Valerie) Scavone

Nana Rosie

Nana Stella

Grandma Tressa

Grandma Fanny

THE WOMEN

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