Pumpkin Cheesecake with Gingerbread Cookie Crumbs: A Rhyming Couplet for National Poetry Month

As part of National Poetry Month, Associated Content continues to challenge its poets to rise to the occasion in writing poetry on specific topics. The newest challenge was to write a short poem in rhyming couplets about your favorite food. To find out more about rhyming couplets go to Wiki for answers.

My favorite food is cheese cake.
of which I like to partake.
Chocolate or vanilla
pleases me I tell ya.
But as for originality,
gingerbread crumbs are what need to be.
For a fall pumpkin cheese cake
with gingerbread crumbs to be baked.
This is my birthday cake of choice
to all my family I will voice.

Recipe for Gingerbread Cookie Crumb Crust
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups of finely crushed gingerbread cookies
1/4 cup sugar
3 T melted butter

Instructions
Mix all ingredients together and pat into the bottom of a springform pan

Recipe for Pumpkin Cheese Cake
Ingredients
2-8 oz pkgs of softened cream cheese
1 ¼ c sugar
15 oz can of pure pumpkin (not the can of pumpkin-pie mix)
¾ c sour cream
¼ c finely grated carrots
2 T Jack Daniel's Whiskey
¼ t salt
1 t cinnamon
¼ t ginger
4 large eggs

Topping Ingredients
1 cup sour cream
3 T sugar

Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In 9" springform pan with your hands pat the cookie crumb mixture onto the bottom of the pan.Wrap the outside of the pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil to prevent leakage when baking in waterbath.

Bake crust 10 minutes. Cool the springform pan completely on wire rack.Using a mixer at medium speed in a large bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth; slowly add sugar until blended, scrape the sides of bowl often. Add remaining ingredients except the eggs.

Then add the eggs one at a time beating after each addition

Pour pumpkin mixture into crust and place in water-bath (use a larger pan to be the water bath). Place pan on center oven rack. Pour enough boiling water around the pan containing the cheesecake so it reaches ~ 1 inch up side of springform pan. Bake cheesecake 1 hour 10 minutes or until center barely wiggles.

Remove from oven; after 5 min. take out of the water-bath (you are now finished with the water-bath)

Make the Topping in a small bowl whisking all ingredients together. Spread over the cake and put back into the turned off oven.

Keep in oven 5 more minutes and then leave in oven with door open for 1 hr to help prevent cracking.

Remove from oven and loosen the cheese cake from the sides of the pan to help prevent cracking.

Allow to cool until it is ~ room temperature.

Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan prior to serving. Decorate with mint leaves to add color if you desire.