Grandma Lois' Pumpkin Cheesecake

This recipe is from my Grandma. I guess it was a tradition to make it for Thanksgiving. My Grandpa was in charge of the turkey and fixings, and she would handle dessert. Apparently, our family missed out, because my mom was too busy making the turkey and fixings herself!

This is not a dense cheesecake. The beaten egg whites make it light and fluffy.

Crust:
1 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers
3 TBSP sugar
3 TBSP butter

Press in to the bottom and two inches up the sides of a springform pan. Bake at 325 for 5 minutes.

Filling:
Large bowl combine 2- 8 ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup half and half or light cream
1 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cups of sugar
4 egg yolks
3 TBSP flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

Beat until smooth.

Fold in 4 stiff beaten egg whites.

Put in prepared crust. Bake at 325 for 1 hour.

Topping:
1 cup sour cream
2 TBSP sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
blend, and spread over cheesecake and bake 5 more minutes

Chill thoroughly before serving.