This fall dessert is the proper mixture of candy potato pie and cheesecake

Right here within the Northern Hemisphere, the autumn equinox marks the start of autumn. Daylight diminishes, the solar travels south for the winter, and pumpkin spice mania slowly descends upon everybody. Like pumpkins, candy potatoes are one other fixture on the Christmas desk: we get pleasure from them boiled, mashed, roasted, fried and, within the southern United States, in cake.

It is exhausting to match a basic like candy potato pie. Earthy, wealthy, aromatic, but surprisingly mild in texture, it is the proper ending to heavy meals throughout Thanksgiving and Christmas. Nonetheless, candy potatoes are nice for extra than simply pie. Its candy caramel aroma and creamy texture lends itself to desserts equivalent to pudding, fudge, cake, and even ice cream. So how about some cheesecake? And never simply your run-of-the-mill slice of cheesecake: an enormous slice of cheesecake bursting with candy potato taste, smothered in caramel sauce simply because you’ll be able to.

The bottom for this cheesecake comes from Stella Parks’ iconic recipes for Epic New York Type Cheesecake and Cheesecake with lemon and ricotta. As an alternative of goat cheese or ricotta, I substitute fifty p.c of the “cheese” within the cheesecake with roasted candy potatoes. In actual fact, this can be a great spot to make use of. frozen roasted candy potatoesthat are sweeter and extra intensely flavored than historically roasted or boiled candy potatoes. To mix the cream cheese and candy potatoes till good, I exploit a meals processor, which retains the feel clean and effectively emulsified, and limits air pockets within the baked cheesecake.

Mix candy potatoes for the smoothest texture

As a result of candy potatoes are comparatively starchy and grainy, it is very important mix the combination within the meals processor for a number of minutes. This prolonged processing isn’t just about mixing; leads to a a lot smoother texture that’s inconceivable to realize with a stand mixer. Plus, many of the sweetness on this recipe comes from the maple syrup, which reinforces that smoothness by barely thinning the batter as it’s blended. (The syrup additionally enhances the earthiness of the candy potatoes in a basic, seasonally acceptable means.)

As with Stella’s Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake, I discovered it was greatest to bake it low and gradual at 225°F. This average temperature produces a dense cheesecake with a silky, extra uniform texture. The cheesecake is completed baking when the middle reaches an inside temperature of 155°F, at which level the sides are agency however the heart continues to be wobbly.

An opulent crowning glory

Whereas this cheesecake is scrumptious by itself, I could not resist the chance to gild the lily, so I prime the cheesecake with a beneficiant serving to of caramel sauce made with maple syrup and toasted walnuts, which cascades on the perimeters of the cheesecake. . As a result of maple syrup is primarily sucrose, it tends to recrystallize because it cools for those who cook dinner it, making the sauce grainy and opaque. Utilizing invert sugar equivalent to mild corn syrup or Lyle’s golden syrup helps curb that impact and the sauce will stay clean and shiny. Eaten collectively, this mixture of candy potato and caramel cheesecake lives as much as the requirements of any nice vacation dessert: it is comforting, satisfying, and one way or the other nostalgic. And you will in all probability must take a stroll in sweatpants after you are achieved.

November 2021