The Winners! Pumpkin Risotto and Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

October's winning dishes had a pumpkin theme and both turned out amazingly delicious!  Hope you enjoy!  Your votes made the difference, I couldn't have done this without your support.  Thank you very much again!  The number one thing that I learned is how freaking hard it is to cut into a pumpkin...  I guess this being my first time actually trying to cut into it and cook it!  I definitely had to put a LOT of "elbow grease" into it.

 Pumpkin Risotto:

Ingredients:

4 Cups Chicken Stock

2 Cups Arborio Rice

2 Cups Diced Pumpkin (can substitute Butternut Squash if you prefer)

1 1/2 Cups Pumpkin Puree

1/4 Cup Basil (Finely chopped if fresh or use the spice)

1 Red Pepper (Seeded & Minced)

1/4 Cup Italian Blend Cheese

2 Tbsp Mascarpone Cheese

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Combine broth, rice, pumpkin, and the puree, in a baking dish, and stir to evenly combine.  Stir occasionally, until most of the chicken stock has been absorbed and rice granules are puffed, about 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven and stir in the remaining ingredients.  Top with some extra cheese and basil and serve.

 

Combine broth, rice, pumpkin & puree in a baking dish

Cook for about 30 minutes

Add remaining ingredients and stir to mix well

Serve by topping with extra cheese and basil

Double-Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 1/2 Cups Graham Cracker Crumbs

3 Tbsp Sugar

5 Tbsp Butter (Melted)

1/2 tsp Almond Extract

Filling:

2 packages cream cheese

1/2 Cup Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

2 Eggs

1/2 Cup Pumpkin Puree

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

pinch ground cloves

Directions:

Crust:

Combine crumbs, sugar and margarine. Press onto bottom of springform pan.  Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes.

Filling:

Combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust.  Cook for 5 minutes at 325 degrees.  Add pumpkin puree, cinnamon and cloves to the remaining batter and mix until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.  Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until center is almost set. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Cover with whipped topping before serving.  Enjoy! 

 

Make crumbs out of the graham crackers :)

Press crust into the bottom of the pan

Combine the cream cheese, vanilla and sugar

Mix in the eggs and separate 1 Cup of filling

Pour filling on top of the white layer

Cook for 25-30 minutes

Serve with whipper topping and enjoy!