This pumpkin cheesecake pie will satisfy your Thanksgiving food cravings, no matter
what else is on the table. (photo by Jenn Harris)

Like many people, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year.  You get to see all of your family, eat and drink until the food coma takes over, take a break, watch some football, then eat some more. Although my family Thanksgiving get togethers may be traditional, the food is anything but.  Sure, we have a turkey, a ham and a prime rib, but the sides are almost always strictly Chinese.

I usually spend Thanksgiving dinner with my mother's family; the Chinese side of the family.  That means our turkey is eaten with chop sticks, and is accompanied by sticky rice, spicy tofu, bok choy, pork ribs and fried rice with shrimp, egg and char sui. I absolutely love it, and don't mind that there aren't any candied yams or mashed potatoes on the table, but when it comes to the dessert, I draw the line.  There must be some sort of pumpkin in the Thanksgiving dessert.

Growing up, pumpkin pie was always my favorite dessert during the holidays.  I used to sit there and eat three pieces, scooping the creamy pumpkin filling out of the crust. Even though I loved the pumpkin, I always thought the crust on pumpkin pie was boring.  A couple years ago I decided to give Marie Callendar's a break and start improvising.  I came up with a satisfying pumpkin dessert that everyone at the dinner table can enjoy.  It's a pumpkin cheesecake pie with graham cracker crust.   

For this recipe, I took the best parts of my favorite dessert recipes to make the ultimate ending to a Thanksgiving meal.  The pumpkin filling is full of sweet pumpkin flavor and smooth cream cheese, the crust is buttery and the pecan topping adds a nice crunch.

The graham cracker crust is courtesy of Ina Garten, the pumpkin cheesecake filling is by Paula Deen and the pecan crumble topping is courtesy of Marles Riessland.

Ultimate Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie

Crust Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (10 crackers)
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Crust Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place the graham crackers into a ziploc bag and place over a kitchen towel.  Place another kitchen towel on top of the bag of crackers.  Take a rolling pin or the back of a spoon and hit the bag to make the crumbs.  Mix the crumbs with the sugar and butter in a bowl.  Press the crust into a 9-inch pie pan.  Try to make sure that the thickness is even on the sides and middle of the pan and set aside.

 Pecan Crumble Topping Ingredients:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened

Pecan Crumble Directions:
Mix together and set aside.

Filling Ingredients:

3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling Directions:

Use an electric mixer to beat the cream cheese until it is smooth.  Then add the pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and spices.  Add the flour and the vanilla and beat the mixture until completely combined. Pour the filling into the crust and bake in the oven for 30 minutes, then remove from the oven, sprinkle with the crumble topping. Return to the oven for another 30 minutes.  Refrigerate the pie for at least 30 minutes before enjoying.