From the kitchen of Renee Wilson
Crust
Lightly butter a 9 1/2″ spring form pan.
In a small bowl, mix:
1 1/2 c amaretti or gingersnap cookies, finely crushed (7oz)
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Press evenly into the bottom & about 1″ up the side of the pan.
Bake @ 350 for 10 minutes.
Cheesecake
In a mixer, on high speed, beat until smooth:
8 oz cream cheese, at room temp
1 c sugar
Beat in:
1/4 c cornstarch
On low speed add:
5 large eggs
1/3 c heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
grated zest of 1 lemon
32 oz container whole ricotta, put through a sieve
Beat just until smooth.
Pour 1 1/2 c of the cheese mixture into a medium bowl.
Add:
15 oz can pumpkin (1 3/4 c)
1/2 c light brown sugar, put through a sieve
1 large egg YOLK
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
Beat on low until smooth.
Pour the plain cheesecake into the pan.
Top with large spoonfuls of the pumpkin mixture.
Using a knife, swirl to marbleize.
Place the pan in a large roasting pan.
Add enough nearly boiling water to come 1/2″ up the sides of the pan.
Bake @ 325 for 1 hr 45 minutes
or until a knife inserted 1″ from the edge comes out clean.
The center might seem slightly unset, but it will firm when cooled.
Remove the cake from the roaster, cool on a rack.
Run a knife around the inside of the pan to release from sides, but leave sides attached.
Cool completely.
Cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.