Leaning Into Fall - Gingersnap Cheesecake & Bourbon Fire Cider

I have a fresh pumpkin centerpiece out front and I am not ashamed of it.

I know it is technically still summer. The calendar says so, and the afternoon temperature agrees. But once September arrives, I begin looking for permission to bring out the apples, cinnamon, bourbon and every cozy thing I own.

This weekend, I stopped waiting for the weather to cooperate.

I was already cooking for friends, so I decided dessert should be a gingersnap cheesecake with warm ginger caramel sauce. And because cheesecake is thirsty work, I made a fall cocktail with apple cider, bourbon and a little Fireball. (The Fireball was added with restraint. I wanted a cocktail, not a college reunion.)

It turns out you do not need crisp air or changing leaves to begin leaning into fall. Sometimes all it takes is a bag of gingersnaps and a bottle of bourbon.

INGREDIENTS

Gingersnap Cheesecake with Ginger Caramel Sauce

For the crust

66 gingersnaps, divided

5 tablespoons butter, melted

2 tablespoons brown sugar

Pinch of salt

For the filling

3 packages cream cheese, 8 ounces each, softened

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon cinnamon

3 large eggs, at room temperature

For the ginger caramel sauce

½ cup butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

½ cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger

Pinch of salt

METHOD

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9-inch springform pan and wrap the outside securely in foil.

In a food processor, crumble 50 of the cookies.

In the processor, add the melted butter, brown sugar and salt. Press firmly into the bottom and slightly up the sides of the pan.

With the remainder of the whole cookies, form a side crust by standing them up in the crust all around the side, as the photo at right shows.

Beat the cream cheese and sugar until completely smooth. Add the sour cream, vanilla, ginger and cinnamon. Mix in the eggs one at a time on low speed, stopping as soon as each disappears into the batter. Overbeating at this stage can cause cracks.

Pour the filling over the crust. Place the springform pan in the oven and cook for 55 minutes.

The outside should look set, but the center should still have a gentle wobble. Remove from the oven.

After it cools, refrigerate for at least six hours or as long as overnight.

For the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and cream. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and add the vanilla, fresh ginger and salt.

Let the sauce cool slightly before spooning it over slices of cheesecake. If it becomes too thick, warm it gently with a small splash of cream.

Bourbon Apple Cider Cocktail

2 ounces bourbon

½ ounce Fireball cinnamon whiskey

4 ounces apple cider

½ ounce fresh lemon juice

Ice

Thin apple slice or cinnamon stick, for garnish

For the rim

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 apple slice

Mix the brown sugar and cinnamon on a small plate. Make a small incision in the center of the apple slice and rub it on half the rim (half because not everyone likes a coated rim). then press it into the cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the bourbon, Fireball, apple cider and lemon juice. Shake well and strain into the prepared glass over a large ice rock.

Garnish with a thin apple slice or cinnamon stick.

For a lighter, longer drink, finish it with a splash of ginger ale. Then sit outside, ignore the humidity and pretend you can hear leaves crunching underfoot.

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