MINI PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE BRULÉE

there's no squash quite so adorable as the pumpkin!

Canadians will be celebrating Thanksgiving this upcoming Monday. I am gearing up by buying little decorative pumpkins for the kids and I'm looking around for things to do with pumpkin puree as I just opened this massive can and have so much left over!

mini pumpkin cheesecake brulées: smooth, creamy and not over-spiced!

I used my mini cheesecake pan from Williams Sonoma to make some Mini Pumpkin Cheesecakes. I bruléed the tops after they finished their overnight cooldown in the refrigerator and topped them with these adorable little chocolate "plastic" pumpkins. No, it's not plastic! It's made out of quality bittersweet chocolate and corn syrup! These are more yummy than the fondant pumpkins I made last year for my cupcakes. "You can't go wrong with chocolate" is my motto. I have plenty of this chocolate playdough left over from making those chocolate roses from the other day. I'll be doing a chocolate rose tutorial soon. Come back and check it out later!The recipe I created makes only 8 mini cheesecakes. I just wanted to use one brick of cream cheese, and I kind of just made the recipe up along the way.

MINI PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE BRULEE

Crust:

• 1/2 cup crushed graham cracker crumbs
• 1 T sugar
• 1 T melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Combine all the ingredients together, mixing well. Press an equal amount into 8 mini cheesecake molds.
3. Bake for 10 minutes. Let cool while making the filling.

Pumpkin Cheesecake filling:

• 8 oz (250g) Philadelphia cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 egg, room temp.
• 1/4 cup canned pureed pumpkin
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. pie spices
• 1 T. milk

1. Lower heat to 300°F.
2. Beat cream cheese in a standing mixer until creamy and smooth.
3. Add the sugar, pureed pumpkin and spices and beat on medium speed until well combined.
4. Add the egg and continue to mix for about 1 minute. Finally, add the milk and mix thoroughly.
5. Spoon equal amounts of the cheesecake filling into all 8 prepared molds.
6. Bake the cheesecakes for 20 minutes at 300°F
7. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the molds.
8. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight. Remove the cheesecakes and brulee just before serving.

Serving:

• Sprinkle granulated sugar over each cheesecake and use a brulee torch to caramelize the sugar until golden brown.
• Top with a mini chocolate pumpkin. Form small balls of chocolate plastic with your hands and use a toothpick to form grooves on the pumpkin and veins on the leaf. see tutorial