Pumpkin Cheesecake With Maple Glazed Walnuts

This cheesecake has all the taste and creaminess of pumpkin pie without having to make pastry. Crust 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) graham wafer crumbs 45 ml (3 tbsp) granulated sugar 50 ml (1/4 cup) melted butter Filling 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) granulated sugar 20 ml (4 tsp) cornstarch 3 pkgs (250 g each) brick light cream cheese, softened 3 eggs, room temperature 50 ml (1/4 cup) packed brown sugar 375 ml (1 1/2 cups) cooked pumpkin puree, drained 75 ml (1/3 cup) 2 per cent plain Greek yogurt or low-fat sour cream 7 ml (1 1/2 tsp) vanilla 10 ml (2 tsp) ground cinnamon 5 ml (1 tsp) ground ginger 2 ml (1/2 tsp) ground nutmeg 1 ml (1/4 tsp) salt 0.5 ml (1/8 tsp) ground cloves Maple Walnuts 10 ml (2 tsp) butter 250 ml (1 cup) walnut halves 30 ml (2 tbsp) maple syrup 15 ml (1 tbsp) granulated sugar 4 ml (3/4 tsp) ground cinnamon Whipped cream, for topping

Preheat oven to 180 C (350 F). Crust: In a medium bowl, mix together crumbs and sugar. Stir in melted butter. Press firmly into a 23-cm (9-inch) springform pan; wrap bottom of pan with foil and set aside. Filling: Mix together sugar and cornstarch. Add to cream cheese in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat cheese, sugar and cornstarch together until very smooth. In a separate large bowl, whisk together eggs and brown sugar. Stir in pumpkin, yogurt, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt and cloves. Fold in cream cheese mixture until well blended. Pour over prepared crust. Bake until almost set in the centre, about 1 hour. Remove to wire rack. Immediately run knife around edge of pan. Let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate (still in pan) for 4 hours or up to 24 hours. Maple Walnuts: In a large non-stick skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in walnuts, maple syrup, sugar and cinnamon. Cook, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes, until nuts are well coated. Spread on parchment p aper-lined baking sheet, separating pieces. When cooled, coarsely chop. Remove outer ring from springform pan and place on a serving platter. Decorate with whipped cream and chopped walnuts. Makes 12 servings