Somethin' for Samhain

Samhain (pronounced 'sawin') was a festival celebrated on the 1st of November by the ancient Celts (specifically the Gaels, with the cognate Nos Galan Gaeaf being celebrated by their Brittonic counterparts), which marked the start of winter and the beginning of the new year.  It was believed that on this day the indeterminate boundary between this world and the Otherworld would be especially relaxed, with spirits and áes síde ('people of the síd', like fairies) out and about for a bit more fun than they might normally be on a regular occasion.  It is from this festival that our modern-day Halloween originates, though it has certainly changed in form and meaning over time: nowadays, the outlandish creatures we see wandering the streets at night are more likely to be four feet tall and have walked over from the house next door than out of a fairy mound, and our jack-o'-lanterns are carved from pumpkins rather than the potentially more frightening, severed-head-looking turnips of yore.

Another more recent development in the history of Halloween is the advent of pumpkin pie.  Sure, pumpkin pie wasn't invented for Halloween (and yes, if anything a stronger case could probably be made for its association with Thanksgiving), but nevertheless, with all that pumpkin carving going on to ring in this holiday, how can you not want a nice slice of something pumpkiny?  That being said, imagine if we were still carving turnips... google tells me that turnip pie is a thing, but my skepticism stands.

In truth, I know that quite a lot of people don't care much for pumpkin pie.  While I don't feel the same way, I think that I do understand it.  I think that it may be a texture issue in a number of cases, and for those cases I propose a solution: pumpkin cheesecake.  (For the rest: I'm sorry, all I can tell you is... more for us!).

Pumpkin cheesecake has all of the cinnamon-nutmeg-clove spicy pumpkin goodness of pumpkin pie, with the added benefit of cheese and a smooth (but never slightly slimy - sorry pumpkin pie, but you know what I mean), creamy texture.  It also has the nice contrasting crunch of a crumb base rather than flaky pastry.  That is why, for all these reasons and more, I love pumpkin cheesecake.  The ancient Celts were really missing out.

A tried and tested recipe for pumpkin cheesecake, and the one that I chose to use again this year, comes from Paula Deen.  I like it because it doesn't call for pumpkin pie spice, which I don't have and which can essentially be recreated with cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves anyway, and because it doesn't require two hours of cooling inside the oven.  I also like it because it is delicious.

There is nothing very complicated about the recipe.  I whisked the sugar and spices together separately before combing them with the rest to ensure good distribution, and I didn't beat the cream cheese too much before adding the pumpkin because it was already pretty smooth and I didn't want to over-beat it.  In retrospect, when I poured the batter into the prepared pan there were some bits of cream cheese that were perhaps a bit larger than desired, but all was well post-bake.  In fact, there were no cracks running through the middle of the cheesecake (and only one or two along the edge), which I think can be attributed to careful mixing.

Instead of using graham cracker crumbs for the base, I used crushed ginger snaps.  I liked the sharpness that the cookies added, a compliment to the spices in the cheesecake and a contrast to the mellow pumpkin, although I'm not sure if they made for a base that was crunchier or chewier than the graham crackers would have been.

Whatever way you slice it though, the cheesecake disappeared quickly, and I don't think it was the spirits who took it.