Here ya go, Tessie: Pumpkin Hazelnut Cheesecake
(Must be prepared one day ahead to ripen flavors)
Crust
1 cup hazelnuts (about 4 ounces) + extra for decoration.
16 whole graham crackers, crushed
1/3 cup sugar
8 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 tsp cinnamon
For crust:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 10” cake pan with 3” sides. Line bottom with parchment paper and butter.
Place hazelnuts in pie pan and roast until brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer to kitchen towel, cover and let stand 5 minutes. Rub hazelnuts with towel to remove husks. Chop coarsely in food processor. Add graham crackers and sugar and process until fine crumbs form. Add melted butter and process until crumbs begin to stick together. Press crumbs into bottom and 1 inch up sides of prepared pan. Bake 10 minutes. Cool crust on rack.
Filling
Six 8-oz packages cream cheese, softened
2 1/4 C sugar
1 3/4 C canned solid-pack pumpkin
6 extra large eggs
1/3 C Frangelica (hazelnut) liquor
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
For filling:
In large bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixture until light and fluffy. Add sugar and beat until smooth. Add pumpkin and beat until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time. DO NOT OVERBEAT. Add liquor and vanilla. Stir to add. Blend spices and add.
Bake 10” cake pan in a water bath (half-way up sides) at 350°F for 3 hours or until set. Let cool overnight. To unmold, dip cold pan in hot water for 10 seconds and run a thin sharp knife around edge of cheesecake. Invert onto plate and then invert again onto platter.
(Being smarter than me, you would have remembered to roast a few extra hazelnuts for decoration around the top rim.)
(edited Monday to add oven temperature to filling instructions.)