In the North Fork, Fall is announced as much by the winter squashes at roadside farmstands as the changing leaves. We have so many different types of squash out here, but one of my favorites is Kabocha. It is a Japanese squash but Caribbean cooks also use it. It’s smaller than most squashes – slightly larger than an acorn squash but round. I like it because it has a very creamy, velvety texture and bakes beautifully in desserts. No fibers in Kabocha!
I call this a pie because it has a dense pie quality with less air than a traditional cheesecake. I also use a toasted pumpkin seed crust which gives the pie a lot of flavor. As a result I use a lot less spice seasoning than a traditional pumpkin cheesecake since I really like to taste the sweetness of the Kabocha together with the savory seed crust.
Ingredients:
Crust
1 cup toasted hulled pumpkin seeds
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Butter and flour your pan and press this mixture along the bottom, coming up to the sides so that when you serve the pie, you see the green bits of pumpkin see crust. Bake the crust for 20 minutes at 375 until brown around the edges. Remove from oven and set aside until cooled.
Dry ingredients
2 cups (1 pound) brown sugar
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon of corn starch
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Filling
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup of Mascarpone cheese
2 cups of baked and pureed Kabocha squash*
1 tablespoon rum extract
4 large eggs
Cream together softened cream cheese, Kabocha, and the Mascarpone cheese, rum extract.
Stop your machine and add the dry ingredients listed above and mix together.
Then add the eggs one by one until incorporated.
Your pan with crust should be cooled and ready add the mix. Pour ¾ full and if there is extra, use for pancake mix or muffins. You don’t want to crowd your pan.
Bake at 375 for 60 minutes. Allow to cool overnight before serving.
Use a 12 inch, 4 to 5 inch tall spring for pan. Make sure you place on cookie sheet before placing on rack – do not place directly.
