Raw Salted "Caramel" Apple Dip

We've been indulging a lot in this here Ballard apartment lately.
Oops!
It's not my fault I love butter and cream cheese and dessert and carbs. It's not.
Hey, at least when we do indulge, it's almost always home cooking done without the use of processed foods and unnatural ingredients.
This week, I've decided to try to prepare some healthier dinner/snacks/desserts for me and Eric. Last night, I started with that amazing pasta dish I posted and today I tried something entirely new for me.
The lovely Sarah from My New Roots, posts endless unique and healthy recipes for diets of all kinds, including vegan, gluten-free, and raw food. Seeing as it's fall and Washington is currently experiencing an apple explosion, it only seemed fitting that I recreate her Raw Salted Caramel Apple Dip.
I love caramel and caramel apples, especially this time of year. Unfortunately, caramel doesn't love me back. Or my belly and thighs, for that matter. Rude.
BUT Sarah's caramel isn't really caramel at all. It's made with dates and almond butter, which are two things that tend to be much nicer to your belly, butt and thighs.
If you have a deep and true hankering for caramel, then maybe this isn't for you. But if you're looking for a dip that deliciously mimicks the flavor then this is perfect for you and for apples and bananas and probably carrots and celery, too! Give it a try, it's really great!

Raw Salted Caramel Apple Dip
(Adapted from My New Roots)

2 cups pitted Medjool dates
¼ cup raw almond butter
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
½ tsp. sea salt (or more to taste)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
soaking water as needed

1. Soak dates for at least 4 hours in water.
2. Drain dates, reserving the soak water.
3. Add dates to a food processor along with all other ingredients, except for soaking water. Blend on high until dates are smooth. Add soaking water, 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached (for a sauce to pour or drizzle, add more water).
4. Store in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to a week.

French Onion Soup

Soup season is officially here! Well, for me, soup season is every season, but I do love associating it with the coolers temperatures of fall and winter. (And next week, Seattle has SNOW in its forecast!) So how amazing does it sound snuggling up inside with a bowl of hot soup and a blanket on the couch? Pretty darn good.
I love soup so much. No seriously, so much.
Can I make a weird confession?
In high school, I went through a (probably unhealthy) soup obsession. In the morning before school, I would skip breakfast and go straight to lunch when I woke up. Yes, soup for breakfast. At 6:30AM. So what?
Okay, I know, that's a little really strange, but that tells you my love for soup is real.

When I was living in Spain, I was in soup heaven. My host mother was not only an amazing cook, but she loved to make soups/stews that were to die for! Amongst all of the students studying abroad, a popular topic of conversation seemed to be what everyone's host families cooked for them. I remember when Eric and I were getting to know each other one night we were talking about the food we had been eating, and I told him how over the moon I was that my host mom made us spectacular soups, almost every day. And I'll never forget this, he told me, "I don't really like soup."
My heart sank. I died a little right then, and as I was reassessing our relationship I knew I had two choices.
1. I could end it right then and there.
2. I could eventually try to teach him how to love and appreciate soup.
All things considered, I opted for number two and since that day I've made it a mission to get Eric to LOVE soup. Yes, even the "brothy" kind (as he puts it).
So far, my track record has been exceptional. We can't think of a soup I've made that he didn't enjoy. Chilis, lentil soups, tortilla soup, baked potato soup, etc..he's liked them all!
When I was flipping through my new Mastering the Art of French Cooking book and I saw Julia Child's french onion soup recipe, I knew I had to make it, but wondered how Eric would feel about a soup, that was brothy, and had (essentially) one ingredient.
Folks, he felt pretty darn great about it. He loved it, in fact, and ate every last drop in his bowl. Let's take this time to give it up for me.
I'm really liking where this is going...MORE SOUP coming up!

Soupe à l’Oignon, or French Onion Soup
(Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking)

5 cups thinly sliced yellow onions
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon table salt, plus additional to taste
1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 quarts (8 cups) beef or other brown stock (Porcini or mushroom stock are a robust vegetarian substitution)
1/2 cup dry white wine or dry white vermouth
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons cognac or brandy (optional, but I used Courvoisier)

Gratinée
1 tablespoon grated raw onion
1 to 2 cups (to taste) grated Swiss or a mixture of Swiss and Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon melted butter or olive oil
12 to 16 1-inch thick rounds French bread, toasted until hard

*The onions for an onion soup need a long, slow cooking in butter and oil, then a long, slow simmering in stock for them to develop the deep, rich flavor which characterizes the perfect brew.*

Melt the butter and oil together in the bottom of a 4- to 5-quart saucepan or Dutch oven over moderately low heat. Add the onions, toss to coat them in oil and cover the pot. Reduce the heat to real low and let them slowly steep for 15 minutes.

After 15 minutes, uncover the pot, raise the heat to moderate and stir in the salt and sugar. Cook onions, stirring frequently, for 30 to 40 minutes until they have turned an even, deep golden brown. DON'T cheat on this step; this is what builds that deep rich flavor base that will carry the rest of the soup.

After the onions are fully caramelized, sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the wine in full, then stock, a little at a time, stirring between additions. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer partially covered for 30 to 40 more minutes, skimming if needed. Correct seasonings if needed. Stir in the cognac or brandy.
Set aside, uncovered until needed. Then reheat to the simmer.

For garnish:
Preheat oven to 325. Arrange six ovenproof soup bowls or crocks on a large, foil-lined baking sheet. Bring the soup back to a boil and divide among six bowls. To each bowl, add 1/2 teaspoon grated raw onion and a tablespoon of grated cheese. Stir to combine. Dab your croutons with a tiny bit of butter and float a few on top of your soup bowls, attempting to cover it. Mound grated cheese on top of it; how much you use will be up to you. Bake soups on tray for 20 minutes, then preheat broiler. Finish for a minute or two under the broiler to brown the top lightly. Grab pot holders, and serve immediately.

**Sorry, I don't have a picture of my delicous french onion soup. I realized it's very hard to make this soup look pretty. But I'm sure you can imagine the beautiful caramelized onions, the toasted french bread with ooey gooey cheese melted all over the top and when you take a bite a long string of cheese attaches itself to your chin and you struggle to get it off, but you actually just don't really mind so you go on eating. Got it in your head now? Good.

Also, here's what a traditional lunch looked like at my house in Spain. Oh yeah you know, only 8 plates of food and a loaf of french bread for two people, no big deal. We got this. Every day.

Chicken and Mushroom Marsala

When I'm not thinking about becoming a successful pastry chef and opening up an ADORABLE bakery, I think about opening up a cute, homey little cafe/diner where I would serve delicious comfort food all day every day. People would leave with full bellies and smiles on their faces as they've been flooded with nostalgia of their childhoods. (I said I like to dream BIG, remember?)
Seriously though, nobody can resist comfort food. I know this for a fact.
I'd like to see you try to say no to a steaming hot plate of homemade mac n cheese in your face, or chicken pot pie, or green bean casserole. Don't kid yourself, you can't do it.
If, someday, this diner of mine springs up, I know what my first menu item would be. Chicken and mushroom marsala and homemade garlic mashed potatoes. And maybe I would throw a veggie in that mix too, just for good measure. (We had it with steamed asparagus)
This dish is classic, it's comforting, and its insanely delicious. The flavors that are achieved in just a short 20-30 minutes are to die for. This is a meal that is meant to be savored.

Chicken and Mushroom Marsala
(Inspired/Adapted from recipes from Epicurious & Emeril)

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in halves and pounded thin
1/4 cup flour
About teaspoon each of:
salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, dried thyme, dried oregano, and cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 onion, sliced thin
3/4 pound white button mushrooms, sliced thin
3/4 cup Marsala
1 cup chicken broth, low sodium
cornstarch for thickening
minced fresh parsley for garnish

On a plate combine the flour and seasonings and stir to combine thoroughly. Quickly dredge the chicken breast halves in the seasoned flour mixture, shaking to remove any excess flour.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook the chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter to the pan and add the mushrooms and onions. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are golden brown around the edges and have given off their liquid. Add the Marsala wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock and cook until the sauce has thickened slightly. If sauce does not thicken to likening, add a cornstarch/chicken stock mixture to increase thickness.
Lower the heat to medium and return the chicken breasts to the pan and continue to cook until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes. Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, add salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Pumpkin-Orange Cheesecake

After spending the first few hours of my Saturday morning reading alone on the couch(not complaining), I got a call from my mom wondering what I was up to. After quickly realizing I didn't want to spend the day couped up alone in my apartment, my mom and I decided to use the weekend to cook and bake together (pretty much my favorite kind of weekend). Thirty minutes later, I was off to Arlington.
A few weeks ago, my dad found a cheesecake recipe in the new Sunset magazine. Once he read the words 'salted caramel' he HAD to have it, and has been desperate for my mom and I to make it ever since. I'm pretty sure I saw drool on the pages when he handed us the recipe. (It happens to the best of us).
When we got home from the grocery store, after getting everything we needed for the weekend, I suggested that we have a glass of wine while we bake. My mom simply replied, "Well, YEAH. You think Julia never drank wine while SHE baked? Come on! You've heard her voice in some of those videos!"
..insert mine and mom's imitations of Julia's voice here...
Alright, so I've come to a few conclusions. Either Julia never really drank while she baked OR she holds a glass of wine much better than we I do.
We had a few mishaps. No big deal.
So I may have forgot to set the cream cheese and eggs at room temperature before we got everything started. That's okay. We just put everything on pause for thirty minutes or so and drank more wine.
So I almost forgot to add the pumpkin to our pumpkin cheesecake. Meh. I caught it just in time! (Mom told me no more wine til' dinner.)
So my mom wrapped the baking pan in foil far before she was supposed to. Didn't matter!
Because our cheesecake turned out beautiful and perfect and beautiful!
Tis' the season! The decadent holiday baking has commenced!

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

I love making homemade bread. Something about the smells and the warmth are so cozy on a fall day.
Breadmaking is known to be difficult, so every time I succeed, I feel accomplished and get complete satisfaction out of it.
Plus, kneading dough is fun and feels pretty radical. I love squishing and punching and twisting it in my hands.
Today I got called off work. It was rainy and chilly outside, and I had nothing but time on my hands. This equates the perfect breadmaking day.
While I was waiting the two hours for my dough to rise, I snuggled in a blanket, caught up on all my girly shows Eric won't watch with me (Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl don't appeal to him, really?) and did some reading.
I love days off. And homemade bread. Did I already mention that?

Honey Whole Wheat Bread

1 package active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup milk
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon honey
2 1/2 to 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
Nonstick cooking spray or butter (to prevent the bread from sticking to the bowl and pan)

Mix the yeast according to the directions on the packet.
Add melted butter, milk, sugar and salt to the yeast mixture and stir. Add two cups of flour. Start stirring, and then add the flour about 1/4 cup at a time every minute or so.Keep stirring and adding flour until the dough is still slightly sticky, but it doesn’t stick to your hands in any significant way.

Lightly cover counter or tabletop in flour where you will knead the dough. Knead for about ten minutes. To knead, take the dough, punch it flat, then fold it back up into a ball again, and repeat several times. You can also squeeze and twist it.

After ten minutes, shape it into a ball and place ball of dough into presprayed or buttered bowl. Cover bowl with cloth and place it somewhere fairly warm for an hour (I turned on the heater and set it in front of the vent).

After an hour, your dough should be roughly double in size. Punch the dough down, then lay it out on the floured area and spread it out into a rectangle shape, with one side being roughly the length of the bread pan and the other side being about a bread pan and a half long. Then roll it up and tuck the ends in underneath. Cover with cloth again and let sit warm place for one more hour.

Then, place loaf in sprayed bread pan and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

Apple Cheddar Scones

Not a whole lot makes sense in life right now.
I've been feeling a little lost and confused when it comes to my future.
Those are really scary words. My future.
I have ideas, and maybe even some really big dreams, but I don't know how to make them happen.
And then there's always the money factor.
I'm already in debt.
How do I make big dreams happen when I'm in the hole?
I don't know. I don't know. I just don't know.

BUT what I do know is that these apple cheddar scones I made are of epic porportions and completely scream fall. Maybe life isn't making sense right now, but these scones def are.
When I found the recipe, I knew I had to make them that night. After work I went to the grocery store to pick up a few ingredients that I didn't have at home. I got apples and cheese and a fancy schmancy 4-pack of Eric's favorite beer and that's it. Scones and fancy beer for dinner makes sense. Eric understood (that's why I love him).

Apple and Cheddar Scones
(taken from Smitten Kitchen)
Makes 6 generous scones

2 firm tart apples (I used granny smith)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1/4 cup sugar plus 1 1/2 tablespoons for sprinkling
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt plus additional for egg wash
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes plus additional for baking sheet if not lining it with parchment
1/2 cup sharp (white) cheddar, shredded (I used Tillamook's Vintage Extra Sharp White Cheddar)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs

Position a rack at the center of oven and preheat oven to 375 °F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Peel and core apples, then cut them into one-sixteenths. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them until they take on a little color and feel dry to the touch, about 20 minutes. They will be about half-baked. Let them cool completely. (You can speed this up in the fridge, as I did.) Leave oven on.

Sift or whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Set aside. Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, along with cooled apple chunks, cheese, cream and one egg. Sprinkle flour mixture over the top and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together. Do not overmix.

Generously flour your counter top and place the scone dough on top of it. Sprinkle with flour. Use a rolling pin to gently roll (or use your hands to pat) the dough into a 1 1/4-inch thick, 6-inch circle. Cut circle into 6 wedges. Transfer them to a baking sheet that has either been buttered or lined with a fresh sheet of parchment paper. Leave at least 2 inches between each scone.

Beat remaining egg in a small bowl with a pinch of salt. Brush the scones with egg wash and sprinkle them with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake until firm and golden, about 30 minutes. With a spatula, lift them to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

Baked Figs & Goat Cheese

Goat cheese. goat cheese. goat cheese. goat cheese.
I'm going on a goat cheese binge starting now. Who wouldn't want to do this?
I can't believe I just now thought of it.

Figs. figs. figs. figs.
What are figs? I have no idea, really, but don't they look neat?
And I've never used them so I decided I need to explore.
I remembered a little blurb I saw in a magazine a month or two ago about fig and goat cheese combo being super-mega YUM, so that's all I needed to know.

Playing around with a few ideas and recipes, I ended up with a beautiful and elegant, deliciously rich, appetizer and/or dessert that delivers a variety of tastes and textures. I honestly believe it is a masterpiece, if I do say so myself.
This recipe is so simple, but guaranteed to have your friends/family/guests 'oohing' and 'aahing'.

Baked Figs & Goat Cheese (with Honey Balsamic)

1 pint ripe black figs, halved
1 tablespoon (or so) honey
1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Goat cheese (I used creamy chevre)
Walnut pieces

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together honey and balsamic until evenly combined, then set aside.

Cut each fig in half and brush each half with the honey balsamic. Top with crumbled goat cheese and walnut pieces. Drizzle honey balsamic over goat cheese mixture.

Bake in the oven for 5-8 minutes, until figs are warmed through and cheese starts to soften/melt. Serve immediately.

Apple Crisp

I have a sad, but serious confession.
I'm demented and have major issues. Major.
It all started when I was just a little kid. In school when teachers would ask my parents something important they should know about their daughter, the answer was always the same: "Ms. Teacher, Laura's a freak." Okay okay, they referred to me as a "perfectionist," but they/I know what I really am.
In elementary school, I would pull serious almost all-nighters working on art projects and pop-up books and "ME" posters. I would rewrite my papers if my handwriting looked ugly. Coloring and cutting and drawing and pasting....hours and hours of precision, people. What ten year old cares if their cutting looks too jagged?
As the years went on, these issues translated into my hobbies and sports and everthing I did and tried. And now, I hate to admit, I'm even a whack job in the KITCHEN. Stand next to me as I'm chopping or dicing or julienning anything, and I promise you'll want to grab the knife out of my hand and stab me with it. BUT I bet you will never see more evenly and beautifully diced produce!
You know how most recipes have a prep time? Yeah, those don't apply to me. I have to add like an extra hour.
So how does this relate to my glorious apple crisp? I had to PEEL and CORE and CUT SIX BIG APPLES! Normally I can deal with my time-consuming ways, but whoa, even this was too much for me. Don't they make apple peeling machines? I need one stat.
At least I can say all my time and hard work was worth it, because I made another epic warm, cozy fall dessert.
I'm going to go eat it all now (then I'll be weird AND fat). Kbye!

Apple Crisp
(recipe taken from Joy the Baker)

Filling:
5 to 6 medium-size granny smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices. (About 7.5 cups)
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1.5 tsp cinnamon

Topping:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, well-softened
2/3 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
1/3 cup quick oats

Preheat the oven to 350. Generously grease an 8×8 baking pan with butter.

Place a layer of apple slices in the bottom of the pan and dust with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Continue layering apples and dusting with cinnamon/sugar until done. Toss the apple mixture until evenly coated in cinnamon sugar. The apples should be just about to the top of the pan (they will cook down).



For the topping, place the flour, brown sugar, nuts, cinnamon and oats in a large bowl and stir well with a wooden spoon. Work the butter into the mixture with your fingertips until evenly distributed. Take one full handful of the topping and toss it into the sugared apple mixture. Spread the rest of the topping evenly over the apples. (I usually end up with a dough-like topping that I just lay on top of the apples).

Bake the crisp in the dish on a baking sheet on the center oven rack until the topping is crunchy and the apples are bubbling, 55-60 minutes.

Serve hot!

Elysian Brewing Great Pumpkin Beer Festival

What better way to celebrate the fall season and end our ULTIMATE Beer Weekend Extravaganza than by attending the highly anticipated Pumpkin Beer Festival put on by local Elysian Brewing? No better way! Plus, after Saturday my beer belly was in full bloom, so why not add to the inevitible growth? (I will do something about it THIS week, seriously.)



So what is this beer festival all about, anyway? Dressing up festively (oh yes we did!) to celebrate beer and try crazy-unique seasonal concoctions!
For those of us who are nuts about pumpkin (ME!), this festival offered around 50 different pumpkin brews: from Porters and Stouts, to Malt Liquor and ciders or Hefeweizens, this place had it all! Our entry fee included six tasting tickets, but Eric and I got away with seven since a few stations didn't seem to be interested in taking our tickets. SCORE!



My number one choice from the day was Russian River's Sour Pumpkin 2010. "100% Brett fermented, barrel aged sour pumpkin ale." I tried my first sour ale at Kiss Cafe, Monk's Cafe Flemish Sour, and sours have since become my personal preference. I sampled a total of four sour pumpkin ales at the festival, but Russian River's blew the others out of the water. However, I must give credit to Jolly Pumpkin's La Parcela 2008, as it was also fab.

Runner up is definitely Iron Hill's Ichabod Imperial Belgian Pumpkin Ale. "This extra strong spicy Belgian is filled with flavors of harvest including clove, allspice, cinnamon, and nutmeg with hints of roasted pumpkin and caramel." Eric loved this one, too.



Due to the massive crowd of people trying to push and shove their way to the center of the grounds, the highlight of the festival seemed to be the tapping of the "Great Pumpkin" itself. This huge pumpkin was filled with still-fermenting beer, sealed with wax from candles and allowed to condition until the tapping at 4:00pm on each day of the festival. Our pumpkin was filled with the sweet and cinnamony Dark o' the Moon and everyone gathered around and waited for a taste from the coveted squash.

Overall, MY punkin and I thoroughly enjoyed the festivities and brewskies.
Basically, this sums it all up:


I need to detox. And diet.

Pumpkin Pie Bars

I love/adore/go completely crazy over fall. It's my absolute favorite season. I love the holidays, the colors, the smells, the flavors, the crisp air, the cozy days and nights. Fall is gorgeous and tastes amazing.
I just bought Eric and I tickets the Elysian Brewing's 7th Annual Great Pumpkin Beer Festival in Seattle. I am SO stoked! Pumpkin beers (some of them actually brewed INSIDE of a pumpkin), local food trucks (major YUM!), adorable souvenir pumpkin glasses, and everyone dresses in pumpkin attire! I need to go find something orange, stat!




(Photos courtesy of Beer Festival website - Elysian Brewing)

On another exciting fall note, my two favorite cupcake places in Seattle have some fantastic-sounding flavors of the month I can't wait to try. Trophy Cupcakes: "We're celebrating Washington's Apple Harvest and National Caramel Month with our newest seasonal flavor, Caramel Apple! The cake boasts local, organic granny smith apples and warm fall spices topped with housemade caramel infused buttercream, toasted pecans, and a drizzle more of homemade caramel." I'm kind of freaking out that sounds so amazing.
I'm sitting on the couch right now all bundled up in a blanket, drinking hot spiced tea and thinking about gorging on the PUMPKIN PIE BARS that I just pulled out of the oven. Does it get any more fall than that? Oh, did I mention a pumpkin spice candle is burning on the coffee table in front of me? Told you I'm obsessed.
Back to pumpkin pie bars.
Um, yummy heaven, right?
Growing up, pumpkin desserts, especially pumpkin pie, never really appealed to me. I think it's because I have vivid memories of my mother baking a pumpkin pie every year for Thanksgiving, taking big bites and chewing a few times, and then before swallowing, she'd show me her lovely colored mouthful of chewed up pumpkin pie and say, "Look! Baby poop!" Yup...
Well, I believe enough time has passed now for me to get over that trauma, because I can never wait until pumpkin season arrives. Bring me a pumpkin dessert and we'll be best friends for life. Thank you.
This recipe is, once again, from my homegirl Joy the Baker..and she's done it again. Total success. AND! I used my new and beautiful standup mixer! Double success!

Pumpkin Pie Bars

1-1/3 cups flour (I use unbleached all purpose white flour)
3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided (organic, brown granulated sugar)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) cold butter or margarine (unsalted)
1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats, uncooked
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 pkg. (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened (I used fat free)
3 eggs
1 can (15 oz.) pure pumpkin
1 Tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons bourbon (optional)

HEAT oven to 350°F. Line 13×9-inch pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides; grease foil. Mix flour, 1/4 granulated sugar and brown sugar in medium bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in oats and nuts.

RESERVE 1 cup oat mixture; press remaining onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 15 min. Beat cream cheese, remaining sugar, eggs, vanilla, bourbon, pumpkin and spice with mixer until well blended. Pour over crust; sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.

BAKE 25 min.; cool 10 min. Use foil to transfer dessert from pan to wire rack; cool completely.