Pumpkin Cheesecake

Crust
1 cup gingersnap crumbs
2 tablespoons unsweetened butter, melted
A dash of ground nutmeg
Pumpkin Filling
Sweetened whipped cream

Combine gingersnap crumbs, melted butter and nutmeg. Press crumbs evenly on bottom of 10 inch spring form pan and 1 inch up the side of the pan. (Press into place with a small ramekin). Bake at 300 degrees for 10 minutes and then cool.

Filling
1 pound and 4 ounces cream cheese—room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 ½ cups canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup whipping cream
Dash freshly grounded nutmeg
Dash ground cinnamon

Beat cream cheese in mixer until light. Then, slowly add sugar, beat until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in pumpkin until well blended. Mix in remaining ingredients: vanilla, whipping cream, nutmeg and cinnamon.

Pour Pumpkin Filling into spring form pan and set pan on large piece of heavy-duty foil. Wrap foil around sides of pan to seal out any water and place pan in large baking dish. Set dish on middle oven rack. Pour boiling water around pan to 1 inch depth.

Bake about 1 hour and 35 minutes, until toothpick placed in center comes out almost clean. Let cool to room temperature and then refrigerate overnight.

Finishing touch -- fill pastry bag fitted with small star tube with sweetened whipped cream --- make crisscross lines on top of cheesecake. Serves 10.