Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

For this Thanksgiving I decided to make two classic desserts with a little extra zing. Timeless pumpkin pie becomes a sweet treat with hints of nutmeg,a bundle of cinnamon, and plenty of chocolate.
More of a spiced chocolate pie with hints of pumpkin than a traditional pumpkin pie, this dessert was a big hit with my fellow chocolate lovers. A layer of dark chocolate atop the crust, semisweet chocolate laced through the pie itself, and a drizzled finish of melted chocolate on top. Creamy, smooth, with perfect balance of flavors, I plan on making this for years to come.

Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Pie
adapted from Martha Stewart

For the Crust
2 cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs (about 16 crackers)
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons packed light-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate (you can use chips or finely chopped chocolate)
For the Filling
6 ounces semisweet chocolate
2 ounces (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
3/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch of cloves
1 ounce milk chocolate, melted

                     1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare crust.  Combine graham cracker crumbs,butter,     sugars, salt, and cinnamon in bowl. Firmly press mixture into bottom and up sides of a deep, 9 1/2-inch pie dish. Bake until firm, 8 to 10 minutes.

I prefer to make my own crumbs, so you can choose what flavor of graham crackers you want to use.

                    2.Remove from oven, and sprinkle bittersweet chocolate over bottom of crust. Return to oven to melt chocolate, about 1 minute. Spread chocolate in a thin layer on bottom and up sides. Let cool on a wire rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Pre-baking

Right out of the oven (after spreading the chips around)

                     3. In a large heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water, melt semisweet chocolate and butter, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat.

                     4. Mix pumpkin, milk, brown sugar, eggs, cornstarch, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

Whisk 1/3 pumpkin mixture into chocolate mixture. Whisk in remaining pumpkin mixture until completely incorporated.
                     5. Pour pumpkin mixture into crust. Bake until center is set but still a bit wobbly, 55 to 60 minutes. Let cool in pie dish on a wire rack. Refrigerate until well chilled, at least 8 hours (preferably overnight). Before serving, drizzle melted milk chocolate on top. Serve immediately.

I drizzled both milk and bittersweet on top. 

 I apologize for the lack of pictures with this post, but it was gone before I could get any nice shots of the finished product!

Raspberry Cheesecake

As my last hope of clutching on to what is left of this beautiful summer, I made one last fruitful dessert : a deliciously tart and creamy raspberry cheesecake.

I know I have mentioned before how it is shocking how little foods I have tried at this point in my life, and here is no exception. Last week when I made this cheesecake was the first time I've ever tried raspberries...I know,I know, it's madness! I can tell that you're blown away by my deprived youth, like so many others. Alas,now I have tasted the sweetness that is a raspberry and I have made cake with it!

Raspberry Swirl Cheesecake  
original recipe from Not so Humble Pie
1 cup (5oz) finely ground graham crackers
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) raspberries
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 (8 oz) packages (32 ounces total) cream cheese, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
pinch salt
4 large eggs, room temperature
pot of boiling water, for the roasting pan

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
2. Place a 9" spring form pan onto a double layer of aluminum foil. Wrap up the sides of the pan to make it water tight (you don't want any foil seams or edges on the bottom or low on the sides of the pan) 
3. Combine the graham crackers, 2 tablespoons sugar and the melted butter in a large bowl and mix, I usually just mix it with my hands. Firmly press the crumbs into the bottom of your spring form pan. I just used a cup.

I prefer making the crumbs myself :)

     4. Bake the crust until set, roughly 10 minutes and then allow it to cool on a wire rack and then reduce the oven's temperature to 325°F. 

     5. Purée the raspberries and then strain out the seeds and any solids.

Looks a little gruesome...

Post puree it should look like this.

Add 2 tablespoons of sugar to the puree. 

Pour into a small sauce pan and bring the raspberry sauce to a bare simmer over medium low heat. Reduce the sauce for 1-2 minutes until it has thickened slightly and then set aside to cool.

      6. Beat the cream cheese on medium speed until smooth and fluffy (roughly 3 minutes). Add the 1 1/2 cups of sugar in a slow steady stream. Beat in the salt and vanilla and then beat in the eggs, one at at time, fully mixing after each one. Take care not to over mix. Pour the batter into your prepared crust.

Dot the top of the batter with drops of the raspberry sauce (I actually used a turkey baster for this and it worked perfect, but you can use a knife or skewer).

Swirl the surface of the batter to create the marbled effect by dragging a toothpick through each dot. Reserve the remaining sauce for garnishing.

      7.Set the cake into a large roasting pan and place into the oven. Carefully ladle the boiling water into the roasting pan. Fill the pan no higher than the lowest edge of the foil. Bake until the cake is puffy and set but the center is still has a slight wobble. This will take approximately 65-90 minutes, just keep checking it.

      8. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan on a wire rack. Transfer the cake to the refrigerator and allow to chill overnight (or a minimum of 6 hours).

          
Serve with the remaining raspberry sauce.