Pressure Cooker Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup pecans or pecan pieces
• 8 graham cracker sheets
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar or turbinado sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup brown sugar or turbinado sugar
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk, at room temperature
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon bourbon
• 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
• Sprinkling of ground cinnamon
• 2 tablespoons chopped toasted pecans

Directions

1. Get the pan ready: Fit a piece of parchment into the bottom of a 7-inch round springform pan or a 7-inch by 3-inch push-pan. Coat the sides lightly with butter or nonstick cooking spray. Toast the pecans: Set the pecans in a dry skillet on the stovetop over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring and watching closely, until they smell nutty. You can also spread them in a 350 degrees F oven for about 10 minutes, checking often, until they are toasted and fragrant.
2. Set the pecans aside until they are cool. Make the crust: Add the cooled pecans and graham crackers to a food processor and grind them into fine crumbs. Add the brown sugar, melted butter, and salt, then pulse in 1-second bursts until the crumbs look like damp sand.
3. Scrape the crumb mixture into the prepared pan. Press it into a compact, even layer across the bottom and about 1/2 inch up the sides. The bottom of a drinking glass works nicely for packing the crumbs down firmly.
4. Move the pan to the freezer so the crust can tighten up a little while you mix the filling. Make the filling: In the emptied food processor, add the cream cheese, heavy cream, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, flour, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice. Pulse about five 1-second times, stopping to scrape the bowl when needed, until the mixture is smooth.
5. Add the eggs and egg yolk one at a time, pulsing two 1-second times after each addition, only until each is barely worked in. With a rubber spatula, fold in any obvious ribbons of yolk; a few tiny streaks are okay. Do not process the filling too much, or it can rise over the pan during cooking and turn too airy, which may lead to cracking as it cools. Pour the filling into the crust. Take the crust from the freezer and add the filling. Firmly tap the pan on the counter a few times to knock out air pockets. Set the pan onto a long-handled silicone steam rack.
6. For a tall push pan, cover the top with aluminum foil to shield the cheesecake from condensation. For a springform pan, leave it uncovered. Pressure cook the cheesecake: Add 1 1/2 cups water to the Instant Pot. Use the steam rack handles to lower the pan into the pot.
7. Lock the lid in place and turn the Pressure Release to "Sealing." Choose the Cake, Pressure Cook, or Manual setting, then cook on high pressure for 32 minutes. The pot will need about 10 minutes to build pressure before the program starts.
8. Release the pressure and cool: Once the cooking cycle is finished, let the pot stay on its default "Keep Warm" setting for 20 minutes so the pressure can come down naturally.
9. After 20 minutes, open the pot carefully, trying not to let water from the lid fall onto the cheesecake. With heat-resistant mitts, hold the steam rack handles, lift the cheesecake out, and set it on a cooling rack.
10. If the pan was not covered with foil, blot any moisture on the surface with a paper towel. If it was covered, remove the foil carefully so the steam does not burn you.
11. The cheesecake will look puffed and the middle will still wobble a little when it leaves the pot, but it will relax and firm up as it cools. Cool and refrigerate the cheesecake: Leave it on the rack for about 1 hour, then cover it or cover it again and chill for at least 12 hours, or up to 24 hours.
12. Make the whipped cream: On the day you are serving the cheesecake, prepare the topping. Combine the heavy cream, bourbon, and powdered sugar in a medium bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer. Beat briskly with an electric mixer or whisk, about 2 minutes on high, until the cream is fluffy and just firm enough to keep its shape. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for up 12 hours.
13. Serve the cheesecake: For a springform pan, slide a knife around the edge, release the collar, and lift it away. Use the parchment edge to pull the cheesecake off the pan base and onto a plate.
14. For a push pan, run a knife along the inside edge, set a drinking glass beneath the pan, and carefully ease the outer ring downward.
15. Move the cheesecake to a serving plate. Slice into wedges, then top each piece with whipped cream, chopped nuts, and a dusting of cinnamon.