Pumpkin Cheesecake

Cheesecake can be good for you . . . My childhood favorite was Sara Lee but I love pumpkin in anything.

Bake this cake 12 hours in advance of your dinner party, and refrigerate.

Ingredients

Crust:
1 cup Graham Crackers or Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafer cookie crumbs (or make your own)
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
1 large egg white
Crisco, vegetable oil or cooking spray

Filling:
2 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, softened or (half with farmers cheese)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice from one "live" fresh lemon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
3 large eggs

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. To prepare crust, combine the first 4 ingredients in a bowl; toss with a fork until well blended. Press crumb mixture into bottom of a 9-inch springform pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

3. Reduce oven temperature to 300°.

4. To prepare filling, place cream cheese and farmers or lowfat ricotta cheese in a food processor; process until smooth. Add 3/4 cup granulated sugar and next 4 ingredients (through pumpkin); process until smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time; process well after each addition. Pour cheese mixture into prepared pan. Bake at 300° for 50 minutes or until almost set. Turn oven off; partially open oven door. Cool cheesecake in oven 30 minutes. Remove from oven; cool on a wire rack. Cover and chill 8 hours.
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