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- Nov 26, 2016
- Location
- central NC
The earliest versions of sweetened pumpkin dishes were actually pumpkin shells that had been cleaned out and filled with ginger-spiced milk, then roasted by the fire. In the 1800's it became stylish to serve pumpkin pies for the Thanksgiving holiday, a trend that continues to this day with over 50 million baked yearly. Finding ways to make pumpkin into a unique, tasty dish instead of something that was just easy and inexpensive became a project for the women of the 19th century. Unable to vote and having little voice in public matters, creating recipes became a way for them to reach an audience and create their own identity.
There have been numerous recipes created with pumpkin as the central ingredient over the years. Here's a favorite that has been recreated from an early pumpkin pie recipe.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Ingredients for the crust:
1 ten ounce bag gingersnap cookies, crushed (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup natural buttery spread, melted
1 tablespoon brown sugar or Sucanat*
*Sucanat is an unrefined, unprocessed sugar that is a more healthful alternative to refined brown sugar.
Ingredients for the filling:
3 eight ounce packages reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
1 cup whole cane sugar or Sucanat
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
Whole or chopped pecans for garnish (optional)
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