Marbled Cream Cheese Pumpkin Pie

By Janet A. Zimmerman

Dave Scantland

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• pumpkin recipes

This may be heresy, but I have to admit I'm not a big fan of pumpkin pie. This recipe lightens the texture with cream cheese and sour cream and turns the ordinary version into something much prettier and more delicious, but it's close enough to the original that traditionalists will like it too.

Yield: 4 small slices

Ingredients:

• 2.25 ounces/65 grams gingersnap cookies (about 8 cookies)
• 1 ounce/28 grams (about 1/4 cup) finely chopped pecans
• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce) butter, melted
• 4 ounces/113 grams cream cheese, softened
• 1.5 ounces/43 grams (3 tablespoons) sour cream
• 1.75 ounces/50 grams (1/4 cup) granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 4.5 ounces/125 grams (1/2 cup) pumpkin puree
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ginger
• Pinch cloves
• Pinch allspice
• Pinch fresh grated nutmeg

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.

2. For the crust, crush the cookies into fine crumbs (you can use a small food processor, or place the cookies in a heavy plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin). You should have about 3/4 cup of crumbs. Stir in the pecans and melted butter. Press the crumbs into a 6-inch pie plate. Bake for about 6-8 minutes, until fragrant and set. Let cool.

2. For the filling, beat the cream cheese and sour cream in a medium bowl with a hand mixer until very smooth. Add about a third of the sugar and beat until blended. Repeat with the remaining two thirds (in two stages). Add the egg and beat just to blend.

3. Remove about 2 tablespoons of the cream cheese mixture and set aside.

4. Add the pumpkin puree and spices to the cream cheese mixture in the bowl and beat until well blended. Pour the mixture into the prepared crust. (Depending on the depth of your pie plate, you may not need quite all of it. It should come up almost all the way to the top of the crust.)

5. Drop spoonfuls of the reserved cream cheese mixture evenly on top of the pumpkin filling. Run the tip of a small knife or a skewer through the filling to form a swirled ("marbleized") pattern on the top of the pie.

6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the filling is firm in the center. The filling will probably puff up past the top of the crust but it will sink back down as it cools. Cool thoroughly on a rack and then chill for a couple of hours before serving.

Note:

• For a different style crust, make this recipe for pecan shortbread, press it into the pie plate in a thin layer (you may not need all the dough), prick the bottom with a fork and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.