Here's my favorite pumpkin cheesecake. This recipe is from Marcel

of Death by Chocolate on The Learning Channel). This has been my special Thanksgiving and Christmas dessert ever since. At the time I first made it, I didn't have the book yet (I got it that Christmas), and was reduced to dashing back and forth from the kitchen to the living room to follow the step by step instructions on the show that I had recorded. As you can guess, it was an evening of sheer insanity that lasted well past midnight. (And don't tell me that I would have saved a lot of time and stress if I had taken the time to sit down with the tape and write the recipe down - I had to do it the hard way.) This is complicated and time-intensive, but it is really and truly worth the work and I now do it in 3 parts - bake the cookies one day, make the cheesecakes the next, and assemble on the 3rd day. Works much better this way. (I also substituted chocolate wafers for the cookies one one occasion, but the cookies with the recipe make a better crust and, in fact, I use them for a lot of other cheesecakes, too.)

Preheat oven to 325F.

Toast the pecan pieces on a baking sheet in pre-heated oven for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove form the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Lower oven temperature to 300 F. In a food processor fitted with metal blade, chop the cookies and the pecans until they are crumbs (yield about 2 cups of crumbs), about 20 to 30 seconds. Set aside.

Coat the bottom of a 9"x3" springform pan with 1 tsp. Melted butter. Use hands to press 1 cup of crumbs to a uniform level and thickness on the butter bottom of pan. Set aside.

To prepare the chocolate cheesecake, heat 1 inch of water in the bottom half of a double boiler over medium-high heat. Place the semisweet chocolate and coffee in the top half of the double boiler. Tightly cover the top with film wrap and allow to heat for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir until smooth.

Place 3/4 pound softened cream cheese, 3/4 cup sugar, and 1/2 tsp. Salt in a bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle. Beat on low for 1 minute and on medium for 2 minutes. Scrape down bowl. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating on high for 20 seconds and scraping down the bowl after each addition. Then beat mixture for 1 minute more on high. Add 1 tsp. Vanilla and beat on medium for 15 seconds. Add the melted chocolate mixture and beat on medium for 30 seconds. Remove bowl from the mixer. Use a rubber spatula to finish mixing the batter until it is smooth and thoroughly combined. Pour cheesecake mixture into the prepared springform pan, spreading evenly. Keep at room temperature while preparing pumpkin cheesecake batter.

cont in part 2